Digital safety for kids takes EU floor

STRASBOURG – During the latest Strasbourg plenary, The Watcher Post EU spoke with MEPs Ciarán Mullooly, Daniel Attard and Veronika Cifrová Ostrihoňová on the EU’s efforts to strengthen online safety for minors. With online risks rising at alarming speed, pressure is mounting for tougher rules and, most importantly, real enforcement.

An issue of life or death

MEP Ciarán Mullooly underscored the gravity of the situation, pointing to cases of blackmail and online abuse pushing minors to the brink of suicide. 

“My message is clear: it is an issue of life or death,” he said. While he sees the Digital Services Act (DSA) as a crucial right step, he warned that policing the internet remains a major challenge. Addressing the plenary, he urged the EU to go further and impose stronger legal and civil responsibility on platforms and digital service providers.

For MEP Daniel Attard, the debate extends beyond safeguarding minors. “We are protecting not just minors but society at large […] because minors today will be the future,” he stressed. 

Attard called on the EU to show the political courage to hold platforms accountable, arguing that parents deserve the same level of support in the digital sphere as they do in other areas of life. He also pressed the Commission to table a robust proposal on minors’ protection, including EU-wide age-verification rules and firmer oversight of fake profiles. This includes profiles created by children as well as those targeting them. 

Filling in the DFA gaps

MEP Veronika Cifrová Ostrihoňová highlighted the risks of addictive online environments that “suck children into toxic places.” She argued that the EU should regulate addictive design in social media the same way it approaches addictive substances. For that, she called for restricted access to protect young users’ mental health. 

While she views the DSA as essential, she also believes the upcoming Digital Fairness Act (DFA) has the potential to fill critical gaps, including important fights such as defining and banning dark patterns and clarifying the online responsibilities of influencers.

MEP Veronika Cifrová Ostrihoňová pointed to the dangers of addictive online environments that “suck children into toxic places.” She argued that the EU should regulate addictive design in the same way it regulates addictive substances, calling for restricted access to protect young users’ mental health. Beyond the DSA, she sees the forthcoming Digital Fairness Act (DFA) as a chance to close key regulatory gaps. The DFA would define and ban dark patterns while also clarifying the online responsibilities of influencers.

The central issue

Across all three interviews, enforcement stood out as the central obstacle to protecting minors online. Despite the EU’s existing safeguards, weak implementation and insufficient age-verification systems still allow children to access harmful digital spaces with ease. The MEPs agreed that only stronger verification tools and tougher obligations on platforms will give parents a real chance to shield their children from the growing risks they face online.