ECAT research on minors online

EU — ECAT (Algorithmic Transparency) · 2026-09-01 · EU · verified record

Themes: Online marketplaces · Online platforms · Search services

This summer, ECAT published research to support the Commission’s priority to protect children and young people online. The publications aim to inform the policy debate and support platform providers by focusing on risks, mitigations, opportunities and how these opportunities can be realised. The first publication, Opportunities for young users of social media, highlights that digital platforms can provide a range of benefits for children and adolescents. It focuses on 10 specific areas of opportunities, all of which echo articles of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, such as the rights to information, education, health, play and freedom of expression. | Opportunities | Rights | | Social interactions | Well-being | | Emotional support | Well-being | | Access to information | Access to information | | Education | Education | | Health | Well-being | | Entertainment and play | Play | | Self-expression and creativity | Freedom of expression | | Identity exploration | Education Well-being | | Building independence and empowerment | Education Participation Freedom & Well-being | | Active citizenship | Participation Freedom of expression | By engaging with high-quality research across all 10 areas of opportunities, the report provides a comprehensive overview of the evidence, and challenges the reader to think beyond the commonly highlighted risks. However, the report strongly emphasises the necessary conditions for these opportunities to be realised. Several of the conditions are the responsibilities of platform providers, including the implementation of safety-by-design and robust moderation and safeguarding. Moreover, adult mediation and a balanced allocation of time are highlighted as factors that can enable positive outcomes from time spent on social media. Supporting providers to create safe platforms To help providers of online platforms understand the impact of their products, strategies, and practices on children, the team has also published the Online Minor Protection Matrix. The Matrix lays out common platform features and the risks/opportunities they present to children online, as well as links to associated children’s rights and possible mitigation measures. Based on academic and grey literature, the Matrix aims to help providers and other stakeholders to review platforms without investing disproportionate time and resources.…