As both a policymaker and a mother, I know how incredible and how dangerous the internet can be. From opportunities for expression, education, connection, and innovation, the online world is vital today for our societies and our businesses. Every parent wants their children to learn, explore and connect, but we also want them to be safe. Unfortunately, too often, they are not.
Since coming to Brussels as an MEP, I am glad that this is something we are tackling head-on. Last month, in the European Parliament’s Internal Market and Consumer Protection Committee, we passed a report looking at how Europe can keep children safe online.
It is the most ambitious plan yet to protect young people in the digital world. I commend all my colleagues who were involved in its drafting, in particular my EPP colleague Dóra Dávid MEP, and I am pleased to have been able to contribute. The report will soon go before the full European Parliament in Strasbourg and, if adopted, will move to the European Commission hopefully to turn into EU-wide action.
As public representatives, we know the struggles that ordinary families face. In my work, I meet with parents across Ireland and Europe who are deeply worried about what their children experience online, while recognising the huge benefits it offers. Many tell me they feel powerless, unsure how to protect their children in a digital space that often feels beyond their control.
Ultimately, we need to be able to support parents to do the best for their children. Inside the Parliament, we have been working to translate those worries into practical, enforceable suggestions that can make a real difference.
The truth is that the online world is vital for our economy, and we rightly need to look at how we can make it easier and simpler to do business online and to support European tech companies. However, the important work of simplifying our digital rules will not mean that the online world should become a new Wild West for children.
Fighting algorithms that exploit children
Right now, children as young as eight are scrolling through endless content feeds, spending hours on apps designed to keep them hooked. Others are being pushed towards harmful or extreme material by algorithms that prize engagement over wellbeing. Rules are fine but on their own are not enough. Instead, what we need is collaboration and exchange of best practice between the people who write the rules, the companies that implement the rules, and the people who have the best interests of their children at heart: the parents.
We need to empower people to take the most effective action tackle these issues directly. We should reinforce the age limit for digital consent across Europe, making parental consent the determining factor for under-16s using social media. Companies should pay attention to addictive design features for children that fuel doom-scrolling, such as infinite scroll and autoplay. We also need to be aware of “kidfluencers” and the growing problem of children being commercially exploited online for clicks and profit.
Artificial intelligence is another area where we have to boost European competitiveness and innovation. But we should be aware of how children are already interacting with AI chatbots and so-called companions. These tools can appear friendly, but they blur emotional boundaries and can have serious psychological effects. We cannot afford to wait until problems emerge before we act.
To their credit, some major platforms such as Google and Meta have introduced child-friendly versions of their apps. That is progress, but it is not enough. A safer interface or softer colours do not solve the problem if the systems themselves are still built to profit from attention and addiction. What Europe needs is better collaboration between policy-makers, industry and parents to put children’s safety, privacy and wellbeing first.
This is the start of a process, not the end. Inside the Parliament, there is genuine momentum and a shared understanding that protecting children online is one of the defining challenges of our time. Europe has the chance to lead on this issue, to hear all voices, and to set the standard for how children should be treated online.
I am proud to be working with colleagues across the political spectrum, alongside parents, teachers and technology companies, to make sure this becomes reality. Our goal is simple: every child should be able to explore the digital world safely, confidently and freely.
Parents may still feel anxious about what their children are exposed to online, and understandably so. But I want them to know this: here in Brussels, we are working hard to put the right protections in place. This is not just about policy. It is about protecting childhood itself in the digital age. Europe must act now to make sure the next generation can grow up safely online.
