New EU rules: Does the Digital Services Act protect our children online?

New EU rules: Does the Digital Services Act protect our children online?

At a time when digital media is becoming more and more present, the question arises: How safe are our children on the Internet? On July 6, 2025, the EU Commission presented new guidelines for the protection of minors on online platforms. These are intended to offer more security on the Internet, but have met with sharp criticism. The Federal Association of Consumer Organizations (vzbv) considers the proposed measures to be inadequate and is calling for more far-reaching steps. According to stadt-bremerhaven.de, the framework conditions for the use of such platforms need to be fundamentally changed.

A central problem is age verification, which has been criticized as the main protective measure. This is seen as easy to circumvent and also raises data protection issues. It is required that all user accounts be set to “private” by default to protect the privacy of minors. Magazines like TikTok and Instagram, as very large online platforms (VLOPS), are particularly targeted by the EU regulations, which will take effect from mid-February 2024. But how much influence do the new regulations really have?

The key points of the EU guidelines

The new legislation must ensure that minors are better protected from risks such as cybergrooming, addictions and disturbing content. Article 28 of the Digital Services Act (DSA) addresses the need for online platform providers to take measures to ensure the safety and protection of users, especially minors. Providers are not allowed to display advertising based on profiling as long as they know that the user is a minor, which could significantly influence the assessment of the platforms' practices. These details are highlighted again in the new guidelines, but it remains unclear to what extent they will conflict with the commercial interests of platform operators. You can find out more about this at gesetz-digitale-dienste.de.

The role of the authorities

In Germany, the Federal Center for Child and Youth Media Protection (BzKJ) will act as the central body to monitor the new requirements. Sebastian Gutknecht, director of the BzKJ, emphasizes how important it is to create a safe environment for children and young people online. This also includes the fact that the BzKJ already has experience in reviewing structural precautionary measures and is therefore well prepared for the new challenges. These aspects are important in order to encourage the young generation to grow up with media in the digital space. This is underlined in the previous reports from the BzKJ, which is committed to sound media handling, as can be read on bzkj.de.

The new rules appear to be a step in the right direction, but whether they can actually make a significant difference in protecting minors online remains to be seen. It is now up to online platform providers to meet these requirements and ensure online safety for younger users. The coming months will show whether the new guidelines bring about the necessary changes. More must be done to protect the coming generation.