EU urged to strengthen online safety for children
A coalition of 144 child-rights organizations and experts has urged the European Union to make children’s safety a central requirement of its digital policies.
The groups called on European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to turn recommendations from the Commission’s expert panel on child safety online into binding EU legislation.
The coalition, organized by the 5Rights Foundation, said technology companies should carry the responsibility of demonstrating that digital services accessible to children are safe, rather than placing that burden on children or their parents.
“Europeans have had enough of tech companies exploiting our children,” said Leanda Barrington-Leach, executive director of the 5Rights Foundation.
Calls for mandatory standards
The signatories are seeking mandatory age-appropriate safety standards, independent risk assessments and pre-certification procedures requiring companies to demonstrate compliance before launching, operating or significantly updating services accessible to children.
They also called for independent audits and stronger enforcement mechanisms to ensure companies comply with the rules.
Mieke Schuurman, director of Child Rights and Capacity Building at Eurochild, said children should not be expected to protect themselves from digital environments designed to maximize engagement and profits.
The groups said services accessible to children should be safe by design and by default, with independent assessments and effective enforcement underpinning the system.
Push comes after French ruling
Eve Geddie, director of Amnesty International’s European Institutions Office, urged the EU to establish binding safety standards instead of relying primarily on broad restrictions on teenagers.
The campaign comes weeks after France’s Constitutional Council rejected legislation that would have banned social media access for children under 15, citing concerns over broad restrictions and their potential impact on children’s rights.
The 144 signatories welcomed the EU expert panel’s emphasis on safety-by-design and age-appropriate design. They also urged von der Leyen to endorse a harmonized European approach in her State of the Union address on Sept. 16.
Source:AA
