ECAT research on minors online

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. 

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. For this purpose, the Matrix will soon be followed by a comprehensive review tool, which puts forward a step-by-step process to consider children's safety, security, privacy and best interests. 

This Matrix is intended as a first iteration, and the aim is to make improvements based on expert feedback. If you would like to share your feedback, you can do so through this survey. 

Contributing to European policy priorities 

This research is feeding into a larger Commission agenda to keep minors safe online. The publications informed the report by the Special panel on child safety online, which was delivered earlier this summer, presenting recommendations on how to create a safer online environment for children.  

The ECAT team has been part of a wide group of Commission colleagues who supported the work of the panel, which consisted of an interdisciplinary mix of top researchers from clinical psychology, media and communications, computer science, as well as representatives from civil society organisations and youth representatives. ECAT provided guidance in our role as scientific and technical experts, alongside other colleagues at the Joint Research Centre. 

Going forward, our work across research and DSA investigations will continue to support the aim of making sure that all children will be safe as they start to explore the online world.