Katarina Barley

6 a. Considers that AI systems integrated into toys and smart devices (such as educational robots and smart speakers) should be classified as high-risk under the Artificial Intelligence Act;...

Recalls that Parliament’s mandate on the regulation laying down rules to prevent and combat CSAM proposed a risk-based approach and clear criteria for the use of age assessment systems;...

Stresses that when personal data is processed, the impact on children must be given particular consideration in the necessity and proportionality assessments, with specific attention paid to...

Stresses that it is essential to distinguish clearly between age assurance and age verification, as they involve very different levels of intrusiveness and implications for privacy; points out...

2. Stresses the need to ensure consistency across key EU legal instruments, such as the GDPR, the AVMSD, the Directive on privacy and electronic communications, the DSA and...

Requests that the findings of studies in several Member States highlighting the significant adverse effects of social media on children’s social and cognitive development be taken into account...

Notes the ongoing implementation of the European Digital Identity Wallet (EUDI Wallet) under the revised Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 April 2024 establishing...

Insists that the use of the EUDI Wallet and similar age verification tools must never be a gateway to linking children’s user profiles to their legal identity, nor to profiling; recalls that...

Calls for a comprehensive ban on targeted advertising, not limited to children but applying across the board, to eliminate a major driver of manipulative design and behavioural profiling;...

19. Stresses the need for increased transparency around social media algorithmic systems, as opaque algorithms and content moderation hinder young users’ ability to comprehend why certain content...

Stresses that the protection of personal data relating to minors, as well as data that can be inferred from their online behaviour, requires the highest level of safeguards, in line with the...

7. Welcomes the July 2025 Commission guidelines pursuant to Article 28 DSA as a key step in strengthening child protection online, particularly on VSPs and social media, offering practical tools to...

Regrets that, since the GDPR’s entry into force in 2018, many providers have inadequately implemented its requirements – such as the requirement for parental consent, which indirectly protects...

C. whereas although social media enables young users to exercise their freedom of expression and of information, it also exposes them to a wide range of harmful...

Recalls that tackling online sexual abuse and exploitation is essential to addressing the impact of social media on young people; stresses the importance of reinforcing the legal framework in...

Stresses that emerging third-party age assurance services, which can attest a user’s age, have the potential to protect privacy by limiting the amount of personal data processed; notes that...

Calls for the establishment of mandatory ‘safe’ default settings for recommender systems, which would require platforms to avoid optimisation for engagement or virality unless a user actively...

– Directive 2002/58/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 12 July 2002 concerning the processing of personal data and the protection of privacy in the electronic communications...

Insists on the importance of safety and data protection by design as social media environments should be developed to be safe for young people from the outset by embedding protective...

Underlines that the digital sphere, including social media platforms, is an important tool for young people to inform and express themselves; emphasises that online communities can provide a...

6 b. Stresses that generative AI tools, such as nudifiers and other tools able to reproduce synthetic child sexual abuse material (CSAM) or AI-manipulated content depicting minors in...

Recalls that the GDPR forms the cornerstone of data protection in the EU, laying down strong safeguards and obligations for the processing of personal data, including important principles such...

Notes that the DSA pursues objectives distinct from, but complementary to, the GDPR, by aiming to establish a safe, predictable and trustworthy online environment that promotes innovation...

Recalls that everybody, but children in particular, are at risk of falling victim to digital addiction, deception, manipulation, dark patterns, and other unfair practices online; recalls that...

Considers that age assurance systems must be part of a broader set of measures, such as responsible content curation, a generally fair and non-exploitative design of digital environments,...

I a. whereas social media platforms’ pervasive tracking and profiling practices raise serious privacy and data protection concerns, as they expose young people, in particular, to heightened...

Recalls that the country-of-origin principle often renders unilateral attempts in digital regulation ineffective; urges the Member States to align possible age-based restrictions to ensure...

Notes that, depending on their technical design and implementation, age assurance systems can enable the tracking of users across the internet, thus creating risks for people whose safety is...

12 a. Calls on platform providers to ensure young users have access to well- functioning, transparent and child- friendly reporting mechanisms on online platforms and clear criteria for...

18. Highlights the key role of both formal and non-formal education in equipping young people with the digital skills and the critical thinking needed to navigate social media safely and...