Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen.

The protection of minors is a top priority for the European Commission.

With one in three internet users being a child accessing platforms at increasingly younger ages, its vital to ensure their safety.

I am delighted to stand alongside the Danish Minister for Digital Affairs, Caroline Stage, to present two significant milestones in our mission:

• The publication of the Digital Services Act Guidelines on the Protection of Minors, and
• Release of a blueprint for age verification online.

These are part of our broader ‘protection and empowerment of minors online package, which also includes an upcoming action plan against cyberbullying and an inquiry into social medias impact on mental health.

Publication of the DSA Guidelines on the Protection of Minors

Protection of minors is at the heart of the Digital Services Act. Under this regulation, all online platform providers must ensure a high level of safety, privacy, and security for minors using their services.

The guidelines under article 28 of the DSA set a high standard for child online safety that is unmatched globally.

They offer practical recommendations for platforms of all sizes to proactively address risks like exposure to harmful or age-inappropriate content.

These guidelines define our expectations for DSA compliance and serve as an enforcement benchmark.

Developed through extensive research, workshops, public consultation, and feedback from children and young people, these guidelines incorporate invaluable insights into the challenges minors face online.

Key Measures for a Safer Digital Experience

Our guidelines highlight several key areas:

• Firstly, Privacy and Safety by default. Platforms should set childrens accounts to private by default to minimize unwanted contact from strangers and disable features that may contribute to excessive use.
• Secondly, more control for children over their recommendation feeds. We expect recommender systems to prioritize direct feedback from minors rather than browsing behavior.
• Platforms must prevent children from entering cycles of harmful ‘rabbit holes. If a child indicates they do not want to see certain content, it should not be recommended again.
• Thirdly, Mental Health and Cyberbullying. Online platforms must remove persuasive design features that can create addictive behaviors, mental health issues, or facilitate cyberbullying.
• Implementing safeguards around AI-chatbots and empowering minors to block or mute users are examples of proactive steps in this direction.
• Lastly, Age-Appropriate design and Reporting. Platforms should provide child-friendly, easily accessible designs and reporting tools that allow minors to flag content, providing swift feedback and support.

To further protect minors, online platforms must adopt effective, secure, and privacy-preserving age assurance solutions fitting to the risk.

We mandate age verification for high-risk scenarios and age estimation where risks are lower and other mitigation measures are possible.

Blueprint for Age Verification Online

We are also pleased to announce the release of a blueprint for age verification online, including a pilot phase for testing and customization.

To help online platforms implement an EU-harmonized age verification method, the Commission is developing a common approach in collaboration with the Member States.

While privacy-preserving features cannot be modified, Member States can customize the blueprint to national needs.

The blueprint will enable users to easily prove they are over 18, protecting minors from exposure to age-inappropriate and potentially harmful content.

Todays first release launches a pilot phase, during which the blueprint will be tested and further customized in collaboration with Member States, online platforms, and end-users.

Denmark, France, Greece, Italy, and Spain are the first to take it up in view of publishing a customized national age verification app.

In the coming months, we plan to scale the pilot. Member States will receive tailored implementation strategies that allow them to publish localized age verification apps by early 2026.

Ensuring a safe and appropriate online world for our children is our top priority. The DSA Protection of Minors guidelines and the release of the age verification blueprint are crucial milestones.

Through continuous collaboration and adaptation, we are a step closer to ensuring children can truly benefit from a safe online environment and make the most of what our digital world offers.

Now, I want to give the floor to Minister Stage.