How can Europe make digital spaces safer for children without limiting their rights or taking decisions away from families?
In our response to the European Commission’s public consultation on the proposed EU KIDS Act, Parents International welcomes the commitment to children’s online safety but calls for substantial revisions to the proposed approach. Blanket age restrictions and limitations on parental choice risk overlooking how children actually learn, communicate and participate in digital environments.
Our position draws on research from the EFFEct, DRONE and PARTICIPATE projects, alongside our engagement with parent organisations in 24 EU Member States. The message is consistent: parents want trustworthy information, safer services and meaningful support from schools, not legislation that assumes families cannot make informed decisions.
We call for meaningful parental consent, respect for children’s evolving capacities, stronger digital literacy education and safety by design that benefits everyone. Children’s protection, participation and access to information must be considered together, in accordance with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
This debate concerns every family and every child growing up in an increasingly digital world.
We invite parents, professional educators and everyone concerned with children’s rights to read our full position paper, share it and make their voices heard.
