On July 14, 2025, the European Commission released final guidelines under the Digital Services Act aimed at enhancing online safety, privacy, and security for children across online platforms accessible to minors.

These guidelines mark a significant step forward in protecting young users in the EU by setting standards for age verification, content moderation, and safeguarding minors from exploitative practices.

The guidelines emphasize a risk-based approach, encouraging providers to conduct regular risk reviews—at least annually or when significant changes occur—to ensure measures remain effective.

While adherence to these guidelines is voluntary, they serve as a benchmark for compliance with Article 28(1) of the Digital Services Act, with the European Commission planning to use them for assessment purposes.

Key recommendations include setting children's accounts to private by default, modifying recommender systems to prevent harmful content, and empowering minors to block or mute users to combat cyberbullying.

Platforms are also instructed to improve moderation and reporting tools, strengthen parental controls, and ensure minors are protected from exploitation, including manipulative commercial practices like loot boxes and virtual currencies.

Additional measures involve restricting the downloading or screenshotting of minors' posts to prevent sexual exploitation and ensuring that algorithms reduce minors' exposure to harmful content.

AI features will incorporate child-friendly language, include warnings about AI interactions, and provide opt-out options for minors and guardians to ensure transparency and safety.

Robust age verification methods are mandated, with the development of a prototype age verification app tested in collaboration with Member States and platforms, and future support expected from EU Digital Identity Wallets.

The European Commission also conducted extensive stakeholder consultations, including public feedback from May to June 2025, to refine the guidelines and address gaps identified by over 150 young people.

Minors will have user interaction controls, such as easy blocking or muting of users and requiring consent before group additions, to reduce cyberbullying and online harassment.

The UK regulator Ofcom is also stepping up child protection online through enforcement of the Online Safety Act 2023, which requires services to assess and record children's access risks by July 24, 2025.