COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS European Strategy for a Better Internet for Children
Date: 2012-05-02
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: Internet, child protection, children's rights, cultural promotion, education, limited circulation, paedophilia, pre-school education

EUROPEAN COMMISSION 

Brussels, 2.5.2012  
COM(2012) 196 final 

COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN 
PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL 
COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS 

European Strategy for a Better Internet for Children 

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COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN 
PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL 
COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS 

European Strategy for a Better Internet for Children 

As  underlined  in  the  EU  Agenda  for  the  Rights  of  the  Child1,  the  long-term  effects  of  not 
investing enough in policies affecting children2 may have a profound impact on our societies. 
Whereas the Digital Agenda for Europe3 aims to have every European digital, children have 
particular needs and vulnerabilities on the Internet, which must be addressed specifically so 
that  the  Internet  becomes  a  place  of  opportunities  for  children  to  access  knowledge,  to 
communicate, to develop their skills and to improve their job perspectives and employability4.  
Children are increasingly exposed to the Internet, through a growing range of devices and at a 
younger  age.  It  is  therefore  necessary  to  develop  now  a  proper  strategy  to  encapsulate  their 
needs.  New  and  higher  quality  content  and  services,  dedicated  to  children,  have  to  be 
developed. Online safety for children has to be guaranteed. In turn, analyses show that a better 
and  wider  use  of  the  Internet  by  children  is  opening  the  door  for  intensive  business 
development in innovative online content and services. Capitalising on the size of the internal 
market, European companies can be well placed to seize these opportunities for growth and 
jobs.  
As highlighted in the Council Conclusions on the Protection of Children in the Digital World 
of  28  November  2011,  a  combination  of  policies  is  required  to  deliver  a  Better  Internet  for 
Children. Actions are being developed at the national, European or sectoral level. They need 
to  be  included  in  an  EU-wide  strategy,  which  develops  baseline  requirements  and  avoids 
fragmentation. Regulation remains an option, but, where appropriate, it should preferably be 
avoided,  in  favour  of  more  adaptable  self-regulatory  tools,  and  of  education  and 
empowerment.  

The  strategy  is  articulated  around  four  main  ‘pillars’  that  mutually  reinforce  each  other  (1) 
Stimulating  quality  content  online  for  young  people;  (2)  Stepping  up  awareness  and 
empowerment; (3) Creating a safe environment for children online; and (4) Fighting against 
child  sexual  abuse  and  child  sexual  exploitation.  It  proposes  a  series  of  actions  to  be 
undertaken by the Commission, Member States and the whole industry value chain. 

1. 

WHY IS A EUROPEAN STRATEGY NEEDED NOW? 

1.1. 

New opportunities for children and for business development 

Although  the  internet  was  not  created  with  children  in  mind,  75 %  of  6  to  17  year-olds  in 
Europe were reported by their parents to be using the internet5. 15 and 16 year-olds report that 
they first went online when they were 11. By comparison, 9 and 10 year-olds report that, on 

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COM(2011) 60 final. 
In this context the term children refers to every human being below the age of 18 years as defined in the 
UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.. 
COM(2010) 245 final/2. 
Key priorities of the EU e-Skills strategy "e-Skills for the 21st century" COM(2007)496.  
Flash Eurobarometer 2008. 

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average, they began to use it when they were 7. 33 % of 9 to 16 year-olds who go online say 
they do so using a mobile phone or other handheld device6.  

Children have specific needs and vulnerabilities and their difference has to be recognised. The 
internet and ICT provide children with a wide range of opportunities to play, learn, innovate 
and be creative, to communicate and express themselves, to collaborate and engage in society, 
to be more aware of the world around them, and to develop essential skills, and exercise their 
rights7. But children also need to be protected. 

Paying attention to the demands of children opens up a wide range of business opportunities. 
The global digital content market is predicted to cross 113 billion Euros in 20128. The market 
worth of mobile apps was 5 billion euros, and is expected to grow up to 27 billion euros by 
2015, mainly driven by games and with more than 5 billion mobile subscriptions worldwide. 
The  global  video  game  market  is  predicted  reach  sales  of  over  62  billion  euros9.  With  the 
wide proliferation of tablets, smart phones and laptops that children use heavily, the potential 
market  for  interactive  creative  and  educational  online  content  for  both  young  children  and 
teenagers  is  substantial.  Online  and  mobile  apps  and  games  provide  unprecedented 
opportunities for business development, in particular for SMEs and creators, as they allow for 
direct contact with potential users/clients. Children themselves could become online creators 
and start up businesses.  

1.2. 

Current gaps and problems 

1.2.1.  Market fragmentation 

The  Commission  report10  on  how  existing  child  safety  recommendations  are  being 
implemented in the Member States shows that, broadly, they are making increasing efforts to 
respond to digital challenges, but the measures taken are insufficient. Different policies, either 
regulatory  or  self-regulatory,  are  implemented  across  Member  States  –  for  example  for 
parental controls, for content rating and for reporting harmful and illegal content. 

In the UK internet service providers (ISPs) have  adopted  a code of practice11 that promotes 
"active choice"12 whose implementation is left for each ISP to decide; in France, ISPs have to 
provide  parental  control  software  free  of  charge;  in  Germany  a  certified  "youth  protection 
software" can be used to prevent children from accessing websites providing harmful content. 
In other countries no such provisions exist.  

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Source: Livingstone, S., Haddon, L., Görzig, A., & Ólafsson, K: Risks and safety on the internet: The 
perspective of European children. Full findings. (2011), produced under the EUKidsOnline II project. 
As set out in the EU Agenda for the rights of the child - (COM (2011) 60 final - that includes general 
principles  to  ensure  that  EU  actions  are  exemplary  in  ensuring  the  respect  of  the  Charter  for 
fundamental rights and of the UN Convention on the rights of the child. As part of the EU Agenda for 
the Rights of the Child, the Commission set up the Kids' Corner online (http://europa.eu/kids-corner/) 
and launched the European website on the rights of the child (http://ec.europa.eu/0-18/) 
http://www.tavess.com/DigitalContentDelivery_June11.php  retrieved  on  20.03.2012.  All  figures 
expressed in dollars were converted into euros on 20.03.2012 
The Economist, online edition, retrieved on 20.03.2012. All figures expressed in dollars were converted 
into euros on 20.03.2012 http://www.economist.com/node/21541164?frsc=dg%7Cb 
Protecting Children in the Digital World COM (2011) 556 final. 
Code  of  Practice  on  Parental  controls  signed  by  BT,  Talk  Talk,  Virgin  Media  and  Sky 
http://www.productsandservices.bt.com/consumer/assets/downloads/BT_TalkTalk_Sky_Virgin_Code_
of_Practice_28_Oct.pdf 
This  means  that  customers  are  asked  at  the  point  of  purchase  whether  they  want  to  have  parental 
controls and offer them free of charge  

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Germany also implements a self-regulatory framework that allows providers to rate different 
types  of  online  content  such  as  videos,  websites  or  online  games.  In  the  UK,  one  of  the 
recommendations of the Bailey report13 was to age-rate music videos. In other countries there 
are no provisions for classification of online content.  

In Finland and Belgium industry codes of conduct have also been brokered, for social media 
in the first case and addressing a wider range of providers in the second.  

In  countries  such  as  the  UK,  Spain,  Italy  or  the  Czech  Republic  different  reporting 
mechanisms for harmful and illegal content and behaviour are implemented with the support 
of different stakeholders such as the police, NGOs or industry.  

Although these measures can have a positive impact on the national markets and users, they 
could  also  lead  to  deeper  market  fragmentation  and  raise  barriers  especially  for  European 
providers,  including  SMEs  that  do  not  have  the  resources  to  cope  with  different  policy 
systems across borders and cannot benefit from the digital single market. At the same time, it 
is  clear  that  not  all  children  across  Europe  get  the  same  empowerment  and  protection 
opportunities when online.  

1.2.2.  Failure  of  the  market  to  deliver  protection  measures  and  quality  content  across 

Europe 

Children have yet to be identified as a target audience worth investing in. Integrating tools for 
their protection and which give them the possibility to manage their online presence in a safe 
and responsible way (such as parental controls) into devices or services is frequently seen as 
an add-on cost and companies are all the more reluctant to develop and implement such tools 
if they are not confident that there will be a market of sufficient size to justify the investment.  

Benchmarking of parental controls14 shows that most tools are only effective in English. New 
devices  raise  further  problems:  there  are  not  many  tools  suitable  for  game  consoles,  tablets 
and mobile phones – the devices increasingly used by children to go online - and there are no 
solutions for users who access content on mobile phones or tablets using an application and 
not a browser.  

At the same time, there is not enough quality content available. According to a pan-European 
survey15, only 32% of 9-12 year olds feel that there are enough "good things for kids" of their 
age to do online16.  
In  sectors  such  as  apps,  content  classification  systems  which  were  not  developed  for  the 
European market and users are applied.  

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http://www.education.gov.uk/inthenews/inthenews/a0077662/bailey-review-of-the-commercialisation-
and-sexualisation-of-childhood-final-report-published  
The  Commission  funds  the  SIP  Bench  study  that  does  an  expert  assessment  of  products,  tools  and 
services that allow users to control children's access to inappropriate content online. 
See footnote 6 
A  pan-European  competition  for  quality  content  online  for  children  was  run  by  the  Commission 
together with Safer Internet Centres in Belgium, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, 
Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia and Spain in 2011. The competition had 
two  strands:  adult-made  content  and  content  made  by  teenagers  for  younger  children.  The  content 
submitted in the "adult-made content" was very uneven across the participating countries, ranging from 
3  providers  in Portugal,  6  in Italy  and  7  in Slovenia  to  84  in  Poland, 92  in  Germany,  and 200  in  the 
Netherlands.  

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1.2.3.  Managing risks in order to build trust in services and content 

Research shows that across Europe, notwithstanding considerable cross-country variation, the 
ranking of  risks  experienced is fairly similar in each country17. In 2010, 4 in 10 children in 
Europe reported they had encountered one of the following risks: communicating online with 
someone they had never met face-to-face; being exposed to user-generated content promoting 
anorexia, self-harm, drug-taking or suicide; being exposed to sexual images online and misuse 
of  personal  data;  going  to  meetings  offline  with  people  they  first  met  online;  being  cyber-
bullied18. New patterns of behaviour are also emerging, such as distributing footage, taken on 
a mobile phone’s camera, of physical assaults on other children19 or sending/receiving sexual 
images/messages to/from peers20. 
New  services  with  a  potential  impact  on  privacy,  such  as  geo-localisation,  are  increasingly 
popular. Advertising is also thriving online, and children do not have a developed ability to 
engage critically with it21.  

In  addition,  the  use  of  internet  is  expanding  for  the  recruitment  of  victims  of  trafficking  in 
human  beings  and  advertising  their  services,  including  children22.  It  also  provides  an 
environment where it is easy to distribute child abuse material. While this is not linked to the 
use of the Internet by children, it is a problem that affects children as victims. According to 
the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF), over 40 % of confirmed child sexual abuse URLs (by 
location of hosting provider) are hosted in Europe and Russia. Child sexual abuse images are 
now  also  being  distributed  online  via  other  channels  than  websites  (e.g.  peer-to-peer 
networks). Given the borderless nature of the internet and the fact that child abuse images are 
illegal across Europe, action in this field is necessary at European level. 

1.2.4.  Lack of skills  

While by 2015 it is expected that 90% of jobs across all sectors will require tech skills, only 
25%  of  young  people  across  the  EU  self-report  having  "high"  levels  of  basic  internet  skills 
(such  as  use  the  Internet  to  make  phone  calls,  create  a  web  page,  use  peer-to-peer  file 
sharing)23.  Research  shows  that  there  is  a  serious  digital  skills  deficit  amongst  Europe's 
children, despite the popular view that they are "digital natives". For example, 38 % of 9-12 
year-olds in Europe who use the internet report that they have a personal profile on a social 
networking site. However, only 56 % of 11-12 year-olds say they know how to change their 
privacy settings24. Research also found that the range of digital skills and online activities are 

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Source:  Livingstone,  S.,  &  Haddon,  L.:  EU  Kids  Online  Final  Report  (2009),  produced  under  the 
EUKidsOnline I project. 
Source:  O'Neill,  B.,  Livingstone,  S.,  &  McLaughlin,  S:  ‘Final  recommendations  for  policy, 
methodology and research’ (2011), produced under the EUKidsOnline II project. 
Commonly known as ‘happy slapping’. 
Commonly known as ‘sexting’. 
OECD (2011) ‘The protection of children online: Risks faced by children online and policies to protect 
them’, OECD Digital Economy Papers, No 179, OECD Publishing. 
See Europol Organised Crime Threat Assessment report 2011 and the Council of Europe study on the 
Misuse of the Internet for the recruitment of victims of trafficking in human beings, 2007. 
E-skills  fact  sheet:  http://eskills-week.ec.europa.eu/c/document_library/get_file?uuid=6f0a6d8e-49e7-
42ac-8f2b-f5adba460afc&groupId=10136 
Source:  Livingstone,  S.,  Ólafsson,  K.  &  Staksrud,  E.:  Social  Networking,  Age  and  Privacy  (2011), 
produced under the EUKidsOnline II project. 

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linked25. Therefore, developing safety skills may encourage other skills associated with other 
online activities.  

2. 

A  NEW  ECO-SYSTEM:  A  EUROPEAN  STRATEGY  FOR  A  BETTER  INTERNET  FOR 
CHILDREN 

A  series  of  policies  have  been  developed  over  the  years  at  the  European  level  to  support 
children.  However,  they  were  often  specific,  e.g.  focusing  on  media  channels26  or 
technological platforms27 and have not been combined in a coherent framework. EU policies 
so far have not sufficiently recognised that children constitute a specific  target audience  for 
the Internet, requiring a new eco-system to support its needs. Europe needs a strategy that will 
prevent  market  fragmentation  and  create  a  safer,  enriching  environment  for  all  EU  children 
online.  

It is proposed to combine a series of instruments based around legislation, self-regulation and 
financial  support.  Legislation  will  not  be  discarded,  but  preference  will  be  given  to  self-
regulation, which remains the most flexible framework for achieving tangible results in this 
area.  However,  it  needs  to  be  a  dynamic  process  that  responds  to  new  challenges  such  as 
technology convergence28 and which provides appropriate mechanisms for benchmarking and 
independent  monitoring.  The  Commission  will  also  fund  actions  under  the  strategy  through 
the  Safer  Internet  Programme29  (2009-2013),  the  "Connecting  Europe  Facility"30  and 
"Horizon 2020" from 201431.  

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See footnote 6 
Directive 2010/13/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 10.03.2010 on the coordination 
of  certain  provisions  laid  down  by  law,  regulation  or  administrative  action  in  the  Member  States 
concerning  the  provision  of  audiovisual  media  Services  (Audiovisual  Media  Services  Directive); 
Council Recommendation 98/560/EC of 24 September 1998 on the development of the competitiveness 
of  the  European  audiovisual  and  information  services  industry  by  promoting  national  frameworks 
aimed  at  achieving  a  comparable  and  effective  level  of  protection  of  minors  and  human  dignity; 
Recommendation 2006/952/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 December 2006 on 
the protection of minors and human dignity and on the right of reply in relation to the competitiveness 
of the European audiovisual and on-line information services industry. 
The "European Framework for the Safer Use of Mobile Phones by Younger Teenagers and Children", 
signed by mobile operators, illustrates their commitment to provide access control mechanisms, to raise 
awareness and promote education, to implement the classification of commercial content and to tackle 
illegal  content  on  mobile  community  products  or  on  the  internet;  the  "Safer  Social  Networking 
Principles  for  the  EU",  signed  by  social  networking  service  providers,  commits  them  to  raising 
awareness of safety education messages, ensuring age-appropriate services, empowering users through 
tools and technology, providing easy-to-use reporting mechanisms, responding to notifications of illegal 
content or conduct, enabling and encouraging a safe approach to personal information and privacy, and 
assessing  means  for  reviewing  illegal  or  prohibited  content/conduct;  "PEGI"  is  a  pan-European 
agreement for age rating computer and video games, covering 30 European countries. 
Self-regulation  will  initially  build  on  the  ‘Coalition  to  make  the  internet  a  better  place  for  kids’ 
brokered by the Commission and that has the support of major companies active in Europe across all 
industry  sectors,  who  have  committed  to  work  towards  implementing  five  concrete  actions  by 
December 2012. 
Decision  No  1351/2008/EC  of  the  European  Parliament  and  Council  of  16.12.2008  establishing  a 
multiannual Community programme on protecting children using the Internet and other communication 
technologies 
Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) set up under the Multiannual Financial Framework — A Budget for 
Europe 2020, COM(2011) 500, parts I and II; Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and 
of the Council establishing the Connecting Europe Facility, COM(2011) 665 — , without prejudice to 

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2.1. 

High-quality content online for children and young people 

Stimulating  the  production  of  high-quality  online  content  for  children  and  young  people 
benefits  both  them  and  the  development  of  the  digital  single  market.  This  strategy  supports 
two strands of action which are clearly intertwined and can only lead to results if carried out 
in parallel. 

2.1.1. 

Stimulating the production of creative and educational online content for children 

Young  children  need  ‘online  playgrounds’  where  they  can  both  play  and  learn;  teenagers 
could benefit from creative and educational games to stimulate their imagination and support 
their positive use of the internet. At the same time, technology will be used more and more in 
classrooms for all age groups. Interactive learning through technology can stimulate creativity 
and critical thinking. To facilitate this, it is necessary to stimulate the creation of content that 
will support both children's development and a European digital single market. Some Member 
States, such as Germany, have launched initiatives to stimulate the production and visibility of 
quality content for children with specific criteria and/or standards.  

2.1.2.  Promoting positive online experiences for young children 

A majority of young people still ‘consume’ online rather than create. The aim is to encourage 
creativity  and  positive  use  of  the  internet  that  will  not  only  help  them  develop  their  digital 
skills but will also empower them to grow and shape their world in a safe, creative way, to 
build  communities,  and  to  be  active  in  a  participatory  society.  It  could  also  give  birth  to 
technological innovation and start-ups that contribute to the digital single market. 

The Commission will: 
• 

Industry should 
• 

Member States should 
• 

support interoperable platforms for tools ensuring access to age-appropriate content 
(such  as  white  lists32  or  child-friendly  browsers),  while  considering  the  issue  of 
continuous quality control. 
stimulate  innovation  in  creative  content  by  and  for  children  by  supporting  projects 
and initiatives such as the ‘Best Children’s Online Content’ competition. 

develop and offer targeted, interactive  quality  content  for  children,  as  well as  user-
friendly tools that encourage their creativity and help them learn. 
support  financially  and/or  technically  initiatives  in  this  field  coming  from  children 
themselves, schools or NGOs. 

match  the  Commission’s  support  for  and  actively  promote  initiatives  aimed  at 
creating high-quality content online for children 
coordinate between themselves in this field, with the support of the Commission, and 
implement standards for quality content online for children33. 

the  final  decision  and  the  final  amounts  on  the  proposals  for  CEF  and  the  EU  multi-annual  financial 
framework, taking into consideration the wider political context of the Europe 2020 strategy 
The  EU  Framework  Programme  for  Research  and  Innovation,  without  prejudice  to  the  final  decision 
and the final amounts on the proposal for Horizon 2020 and the EU multi-annual financial framework, 
taking into consideration the wider political context of the Europe 2020 strategy 
In this context, the term refers to a verified list of websites that provide high-quality content online for 
young people. The lists would be established and maintained by specialists in the field (public and/or 
private) in response to site suggestions from users  or direct applications from companies to be listed, 
e.g. the German initiative fragfinn. 
An inventory of guidelines for producing and providing online content for children and young people 
was produced in 2010 under the Safer Internet Programme 

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2.2. 

Stepping up awareness and empowerment 

Children,  their  parents,  carers  and  teachers  need  to  be  aware  of  the  risks  children  can 
encounter online as well as of the tools and strategies to protect themselves or cope with such 
risks. Children need to develop their critical thinking and digital and media literacy skills to 
be  able  to  actively  contribute  in  a  participatory  society.  They  need  access  to  and  advice  on 
how to use tools suited to their age that would help them act  safely and responsibly online. 
The  focus  of  awareness  and  empowerment  actions  should  be  to  develop  self-protection  and 
self-responsibility in the online environment among children. 

2.2.1.  Digital and media literacy34 and teaching online safety in schools 

Digital and media literacy and skills are crucial to children's use of the internet. As children 
start using the internet at very young ages, it is necessary for online safety education to start in 
early  childhood,  adapting  implementation  strategies  to  the  different  needs  and  degrees  of 
autonomy of young children and teenagers. Schools are best placed for reaching the majority 
of  children,  regardless  of  age,  income  or  background,  as  well  as  other  key  recipients  of 
internet safety messages, such as teachers and (indirectly) parents. Online safety as a specific 
topic is currently included in the school curriculum in 23 education systems across Europe35, 
but is insufficiently implemented with a lack of relevant online teaching resources. Teaching 
online safety in schools is an action also called for in the Digital Agenda for Europe. 

Member States should 
• 

• 
The Commission will 
• 

• 

• 

step up the implementation of strategies to include teaching online safety in school 
curricula by 2013. 
reinforce  informal  education  about  online  safety  and  provide  for  ‘online  safety’ 
policies in schools and adequate teacher training. 
support public-private partnerships to reach the above goals. 

support  the  identification  and  exchange  of  best  practices  among  Member  States  in 
the areas of formal and informal education on online safety, the creation of relevant 
educational  content,  and  public-private  partnerships  aimed  at  reaching  out  to 
children, parents, teachers and carers. 
develop a specific module within Europass for digital competence and improve the 
indicators for use and impact of ICT in education. 

Industry should 
• 

engage in private-public partnerships to support the development of interactive tools 
and  platforms  providing  educational  and  awareness  materials  for  teachers  and 
children, building on existing initiatives36 

http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/activities/sip/docs/competition/final_draft.pdf  
34 

The  Commission  has  set  out  a  European  approach  to  media  literacy  in  the  digital  environment  in  its 
Communication  from  the  EC  to  the  European  Parliament,  the  Council,  the  European  Economic  and 
Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions – A European approach to media literacy in the 
digital  environment,  COM(2007)  833  and  Commission  recommendation  of  20.08.2009  on  media 
literacy  in  the  digital  environment  for  a  more  competitive  audiovisual  and  content  industry  and  an 
inclusive knowledge society C(2009) 6464. 
http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/education/eurydice/documents/thematic_reports/121EN.pdf. 
Such as www.teachtoday.eu. 

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2.2.2. 

Scaling up awareness activities and youth participation 

Good  practices  have  to  be  scaled  up  so  that  awareness  campaigns  consistently  reach  all 
children,  parents,  teachers  and  carers  across  the  EU37.  Awareness  raising  strategies  need  to 
consider  the  different  levels  of  development  of  younger  children  and  teenagers,  with 
particular  attention  to  the  youngest  and  most  vulnerable  children,  including  those  with 
learning and intellectual disabilities. At the same time, peer education is a valuable strategy 
for children of all ages to get to know their rights and responsibilities online. 

The Commission will 
• 

fund,  from  2014,  the  creation  of  an  EU-wide  interoperable  service  infrastructure  to 
support  the  Safer  Internet  Centres,  which  provide  online  safety  information  and 
public  awareness  tools,  as  well  as  platforms  for  youth  participation.  The  platform 
will also include benchmarks for the exchange of best practice38. 
revamp the European Youth Portal, in line with the EU Youth Strategy39, to offer a 
secure  and  dynamic  virtual  environment  for  youth  information  sharing.  It  aims  to 
become  the  reference  for  quality  youth  information  on  studying,  working, 
volunteering,  youth  exchanges,  culture,  creativity,  health  and  other  youth  related 
areas  across  Europe  and  for  online  youth  participation,  reaching  out  to  all  young 
Europeans, including those with fewer opportunities. 

Member States should 
• 

match the Commission’s support for public awareness raising campaigns at national 
level. 
involve  children  when  developing  national  campaigns  and/or  legislation  with  an 
impact on their online activities. 
match the Commission’s support for the national Youth Panels. 

• 
Industry should support the scaling up of awareness activities by 
• 

providing  funding  and  technical  support  to  NGOs  and  education  providers  for  the 
development of resources  
disseminating  awareness  material  to  their  customers  either  at  the  point  of  sale  or 
through their online channels. 

• 

• 

• 

Simple and robust reporting tools for users 

2.2.3. 
To  empower  children  to  deal  with  risks  such  as  cyber-bullying  or  grooming40,  robust 
mechanisms  for  reporting  content  and  contacts  that  seem  harmful  to  children  should  be 
available EU-wide across online services and devices. 
These  mechanisms  will  also  complement  the  objective  of  making  it  easier  for  citizens  to 
report cybercrimes, particularly in the context of the development of the network of national 
cybercrime alert platforms and the future European Cybercrime Centre41.  
At  the  same  time,  they  will  complement  the  116  hotlines  that  offer  help  and  support  for 
missing  children  and  their  parents42  since  online  violence  against  children  may  constitute 
some of the causes for children disappearing from home.  

37 
38 
39 

40 

41 

Building also on existing efforts such as the European e-Skills week  
Subject to the adoption of necessary legislation 
COM(2009)  200  final  and  Council  Resolution  of  27  November  2009  on  a  renewed  framework  for 
European cooperation in the Youth field (2010 -2018) 
Grooming  refers  to  actions  deliberately  undertaken  with  the  aim  of  befriending  and  establishing  an 
emotional connection with a child, in preparation for sexual activity with the child or exploitation  
COM(2012) 140 final  

EN 

9 

   EN 

 
                                                 
Industry should 
• 

establish  and  deploy  EU-wide,  in  cooperation  with  relevant  national  actors,  a 
mechanism  allowing  children  using  their  services  to  report  harmful  content  and 
conduct.  This  should  be  visible,  easy  to  find,  recognisable,  accessible  to  all  and 
available at any stage of the online experience where a child may need it. It should 
have  clear  and  commonly  understood  reporting  categories  and  a  clear  back-office 
infrastructure ensuring a fast and appropriate follow-up. Reports handling should be 
done in line with the legislation in force on data protection. 

The Commission will 
• 

facilitate  cooperation  between  industry  involved  in  pan-European  self-regulatory 
agreements and the Safer Internet helplines. 
consider regulatory measures if an industry initiative fails to deliver. 
continue to ensure the correct implementation of the Universal Service Directive as 
regards  the  obligation  of  the  Members  States  to  make  116000  hotlines  operational 
and will also provide funding for the establishment and running of missing children 
hotlines. 

Member States should 
• 

provide  the  necessary  support  for  setting  up  and  deploying  the  reporting 
mechanisms,  especially  where  cooperation  with  partners  such  as  helplines  and  law 
enforcement bodies is necessary. 
monitor their effective functioning at national level. 
render the 116000 hotlines operational. 

• 
• 

• 
• 

2.3. 

Creating a safe environment for children online 

While empowerment and education need to be stepped up, they also need to be complemented 
by protection. That is because children do not always see the potential risks they face online 
and/or  are  not  always  aware  of  the  potential  consequences  of  their  actions.  However,  their 
exposure to harmful behaviour or content can result in distressing experiences online or risks 
in  the  offline  world.  Therefore,  it  is  necessary  to  implement  measures  that  would  prevent 
children  from  coming  in  contact  with  such  content  or  behaviour.  The  actions  proposed 
address  both  younger  children  and  teenagers,  because  children  of  different  ages  use  new 
technologies in different ways and it is not possible to find a one-size-fits-all solution for all 
children  or  for  their  safety  online.  The  differences  in  approach  between  the  age  groups  are 
outlined where necessary.  

2.3.1.  Age-appropriate privacy settings 

Although risks to privacy exist for all users, children are a particularly vulnerable group. Very 
young  children  in  particular  do  not  know  how  to  change  their  privacy  settings  and  do  not 
understand  the  potential  consequences  of  their actions,  such  as  becoming  an  easy  target  for 
grooming  or  exposing  themselves  to  risks  to  their  online  reputation.  Therefore,  default 
privacy  settings  for  children  should  be  managed  in  ways  that  ensure  they  are  as  safe  as 
possible. 

Industry is expected to 

42 

Commission Decision 2007/116/EC of 15.02.2007 on reserving the national numbering range beginning 
with 116 for harmonised numbers for harmonised services of social value; Directive 2002/22/EC of the 
European Parliament and of the Council of 07.03.2002 on universal service and users' rights relating to 
electronic communications networks and services ( Universal Service Directive). 

EN 

10 

   EN 

 
                                                                                                                                                         
implement43 
transparent  default  age-appropriate  privacy  settings,  with  clear 
information  and  warnings  to  minors  of  the  potential  consequences  of  any  changes 
they make in their default privacy settings and contextual information on the privacy 
level of every piece of information required or suggested to set up an online profile. 
implement technical means for electronic identification and authentication. 

• 
The Commission 
• 

proposed  a  new  data  protection  regulation  that  takes  specific  account  of  children's 
privacy and introduces the "right to be forgotten". 
intends to propose in 2012 a pan-European framework for electronic authentication 
that will enable the use of personal attributes (age in particular) to ensure compliance 
with the age provisions of the proposed data protection regulation. 
will  support  R&D  to  develop  technical  means  for  electronic  identification  and 
authentication on relevant services across the EU and their deployment. 

Member States should 
• 
• 

ensure the implementation of EU legislation in this field at national level. 
encourage  the  adoption  of  self-regulatory  measures  by  industry  and  follow  their 
implementation at national level. 
support awareness raising activities at national level. 

• 

• 

• 

• 

2.3.2.  Wider availability and use of parental controls 

80 %  of  parents  believe  that  the  improved  availability  and  performance  of  parental  control 
tools  would  contribute  to  safer  and  more  effective  use  of  the  internet  by  their  children44. 
However, on average only 28 % of parents in Europe block or filter websites visited by their 
children45. With due respect for freedom of expression, parental controls are a complementary 
measure  that  contributes  to  protecting  younger  children  from  seeing  inappropriate  content 
online  as  they  provide  settings  for  filtering  content  and  monitoring  online  activity.  It  is 
necessary  to  ensure  the  wider  availability  and  use  of  parental  control  tools  in  several 
languages to allow parents to make an informed choice on whether to use these tools. 

Industry should 
• 

ensure  the  availability  of  parental  controls  that  are  simple  to  configure,  are  user-
friendly  and  accessible  for  all  on  all  internet-enabled  devices  available  in  Europe. 
The  tools  should  be  efficient  on  any  type  of  device  and  for  any  type  of  content, 
including user-generated content. They should comply with best practices to ensure 
accountability  and  transparency.  The  tools  should  be  promoted  so  as  to  ensure  the 
widest possible awareness of their existence and take-up. 

The Commission will 
• 

support  benchmarking  and  testing  of  parental  control  tools  and  relevant  support 
services to empower parents and children. 

43 

44 
45 

Implementation  of  measures  concerning  privacy  and  data  protection  will  need  to  be  in  line  with  the 
relevant  European  legislation,  including  the  outcomes  of  the  revision  of  the  ongoing  revision  of  the 
current Data Protection Directive. Directive 95/46/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 
24 October 1995 on the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data and on 
the  free  movement  of  such  data.  The  Commission  put  forward  a  proposal  for  a  regulation  of  the 
European Parliament and of the Council on the protection of individuals with regard to processing of 
personal data and on the free movement of such data COM (2012) 11 final. 
See footnote 5. 
See footnote 6. 

EN 

11 

   EN 

 
                                                 
• 

• 
• 

• 

• 

support R&D to look into how age-rating and content classification systems could be 
made interpretable by effective parental controls that can deal with a wider range of 
languages. 
consider legislative measures if industry self-regulation fails to deliver. 

• 
Member States are invited to 
• 

support  industry’s  efforts  in  this  field  and  to  follow  up  their  implementation  on 
devices sold on their territory. 
perform tests and certification cycles for parental control tools. 
promote their availability. 

2.3.3.  Wider use of age rating and content classification 

One of the risks children face online is seeing inappropriate content (such as pornography or 
violent  content).  The  ambition  is  to  have  a  generally  applicable,  transparent,  and  consistent 
approach  to  age  rating  and  content  classification  EU-wide,  for  a  variety  of  content/services 
(including  online  games,  apps  and  educational  and  other  cultural  content)  and  to  explore 
innovative  solutions  (e.g.  rating  by  users  or  automated  rating).  The  system  should  provide 
parents with understandable age categories, while recognising that the same content may be 
rated as appropriate for different age categories in different countries. This approach should 
be used consistently across sectors, thus addressing the discrepancies in the implementation of 
current systems for the different media in order to benefit market competition. 

Industry should 
• 

• 
The Commission will support 
• 

establish  an  EU  approach  to  age  rating  and  content  classification  applicable  across 
services  as  described  above,  building  on  the  success  of  existing  initiatives  such  as 
PEGI. 
look into how these systems could be made interpretable by parental controls. 

self-regulation  in  this  field  but  will  also  look  into  possible  legislative  measures  if 
industry self-regulation fails to deliver. 
from  2014  the  deployment  of  interoperable  platforms  to  provide  age-appropriate 
services. 

Member States are invited to 
• 

cooperate  in  line  with  their  own  regulations  in  the  field  and  encourage  relevant 
stakeholders  at  national  level  to  contribute  to  the  definition  and  implementation  of 
EU age-rating and content classification systems. 
support the complaints process necessary for the proper functioning of such systems. 

2.3.4.  Online advertising and overspending 

Children, especially younger ones, do not have a developed ability to engage critically with 
advertising  messages.  In  virtual  worlds,  children  can  often  pay  for  virtual  goods  via  their 
mobile  phones,  by  calling  or  texting,  and  therefore  with  no  prior  parental  permission 
necessary46.  Children  may  also  seek  to  access  online  gambling  or  gaming  sites.  They  can 
download  ringtones  for  their  mobile  phones  or  accidentally  access  the  internet  on  their 
mobiles. All this may incur high charges. 

46 

The Dutch ‘My Child online’ foundation released the ‘Pas op je Portemonnee’ report in 2011, which 
claims that there are an increasing number of complaints about money children spend in virtual worlds. 
The UK ‘Briefing on the internet, e-commerce, children and young people’ gives an overview of issues 
related to children and e-commerce. 

EN 

12 

   EN 

 
                                                 
The aims are to make sure that standards for advertising on websites for children allow a level 
of  protection  comparable  to  that  of  advertising  in  the  audiovisual  services47  and  that,  with 
regard  to  behavioural  advertising,  no  such  segments  are  created  to  target  children,  and  to 
ensure  that  spending  online  or  on  mobile  phones  by  children  does  not  generate  unforeseen 
high costs. 
Industry  shall  observe  the  legislation  in  force48,  particularly  as  regards  online  profiling  and 
behavioural advertising. It should 
• 

provide transparent, clear and age-appropriate information about the costs of services 
that  can  be  acquired  online  and  avoid  default  settings  that  would  easily  allow 
children to access premium services for which additional payment is necessary. 
avoid  addressing  children  directly  and  encouraging  them  to  buy  virtual  goods  or 
credits  with  their  mobile  phone  or  other  means  that  do  not  require  prior  parental 
control.  Contextual  early  warnings  about  additional  costs  should  be  envisaged  to 
empower children and parents. 
build on self-regulatory standards such as those defined by the European Advertising 
Standards  Alliance  for  behavioural  advertising49  and  proactively 
implement 
measures to avoid the exposure of children to inappropriate advertising in any form 
of online media. 
adopt measures to prevent children from accessing on-line gambling sites. 

• 
The Commission will 
• 

step  up  the  enforcement  of  existing  EU  rules  and  stimulate  further  self-regulatory 
measures  in  order  to  better  protect  children  from  inappropriate  advertising  and 
overspending. 
look into further legislation if self-regulatory measures fail to deliver. 
expand  on  the  wider  issue  of  children  as  consumers  in  the  forthcoming  Consumer 
Agenda.  
look into how best to improve the protection of minors in a Communication on on-
line gambling in the Internal Market to be presented in 2012. 

• 

• 

• 
• 

• 

Member States are invited to 
• 
• 

ensure that legislation in this field is observed by companies active at national level. 
support industry in developing codes of conduct regarding inappropriate advertising 
online and to monitor their implementation at national level. 

2.4. 

Fighting against child sexual abuse and child sexual exploitation  

The internet is increasingly used for distributing child sex abuse images. There are a number 
of  problems  to  be  tackled:  it  is  necessary  to  identify,  rescue  and  support  the  victims,  take 
action against the perpetrators and curb down the continued circulation of images by detecting 
and removing child sexual abuse images from the internet and prevent their re-uploading.  

47 
48 

49 

As indicated in the AVMS 
Including the Data Protection and ePrivacy Directives currently in force. Advertising and commercial 
practices targeting children should comply with the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive 2005/29/EC 
of the European Parliament and Council. 
http://www.easa-alliance.org/page.aspx/386. 

EN 

13 

   EN 

 
                                                 
2.4.1.  Faster  and  systematic  identification  of  child  sexual  abuse  material  disseminated 
through various online channels, notification and takedown of this material 

The  visibility  of  current  reporting  points  (hotlines)  where  citizens  can  report  illegal  content 
needs to be increased, including linking to any EU-wide reporting mechanisms and measures 
for  reporting  cyber-crime  that  may  be  developed  in  the  future.  The  systematic  detection, 
takedown  and  prevention  of  the  re-uploading  of  child  sexual  abuse  images  need  to  be 
improved. 
Actions in this area must comply with the new Directive on combating child sexual abuse and 
pornography50,  the  E-commerce  directive51  as  well  as  with  the  data  protection  legislation  in 
force and the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU. 
The Commission will  
• 

support cooperation between industry, law enforcement and hotlines to improve the 
process  and  shorten  the  time  span  for  taking  down  child  sex  abuse  images, 
coordinate  the  sharing  of  tools  and  resources  and  continue  to  support  the  INHOPE 
network of hotlines to facilitate that the public can report illegal content, to follow up 
with  appropriate  action  continuing  to  reduce  delays  for  take  down,  and  to  explore 
ways of increasing their public visibility. 
support  R&D  into  and  the  deployment  of  innovative  technical  solutions  for  police 
investigations, namely for more efficient identification and matching of child sexual 
abuse  material  disseminated  through  different  channels  on  the  internet,  and  for 
removing and preventing the re-uploading of child sexual abuse images 
support training for law enforcement. 
adopt  a  horizontal  initiative  on  notice  and  action  procedures.  It  will  address  in 
particular barriers to effective notice and takedown mechanism for all categories of 
illegal content, including child sexual abuse images.52  

Member States should 
• 

increase  the  resources  of  law  enforcement  bodies  that  fight  against  child  abuse 
material online. 
ensure,  in  line  with  the  Directive  on  combating  child  sexual  abuse  that  effective 
investigative  tools  are  available  to  enhance  the  investigator's  capacities  to  identify 
child  victims,  guaranteeing  that  effective  safeguards  are  in  place  to  ensure 
democratic accountability in the use of such tools. 
match the support for the functioning and visibility of hotlines at national level where 
the public can report illegal content found online. 
support  the  improvement  of  cooperation  between  hotlines  and  industry  for  taking 
down child abuse material. 

• 

• 
• 

• 

• 

• 

Industry 
• 

will be encouraged to take steps, including proactive measures, to remove child sex 
abuse material from the internet. 

50 

51 

52 

Directive  2011/93/EU  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the  Council  of  13.12.2011  on  combating 
sexual  abuse,  sexual  exploitation  of  children  and  child  pornography  criminalises  child  pornography 
offences,  child  grooming,  webcam  sexual  abuse,  or  web  viewing  child  pornography  without 
downloading files.  
Directive  2000/31/EC  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the  Council  of  8.06.2000  on  certain  legal 
aspects  of  information  society  services,  in  particular  electronic  commerce,  in  the  Internal  Market 
(‘Directive on electronic commerce’) which provides the basis for notice and takedown procedures. 
Announced  in  the  Communication  on  a  coherent  framework  for  building  trust  in  the  Digital  Single 
Market for e-commerce and online services COM (2011) 942. 

EN 

14 

   EN 

 
                                                 
• 

• 

should  reinforce  cooperation  with  law  enforcement  bodies  and  hotlines  to  refine 
notice and takedown procedures and to establish benchmarks. 
will  be  encouraged  to  develop  and  use  tools  to  increase  the  effectiveness  of  the 
identification  of  child  sex  abuse  images,  notice  and  takedown  procedures,  and  the 
prevention of re-uploading. 

2.4.2.  Cooperating with international partners to fight against child sexual abuse and child 

sexual exploitation  

As the internet knows no borders, international cooperation is essential. There is a need for a 
global  approach  to  address  the  issues  on  a  more  coordinated  and  sustainable  basis.  Child 
sexual  abuse  material  may  be  viewed  and  reported  in  one  country  while  hosted  in  a  third 
country but having been uploaded  from yet  another country:  more than half the child abuse 
material  reported  to  the  Internet  Watch  Foundation  in  2011  was  identified  as  held  outside 
Europe.53  The  same  report  notes  that  the  methods  of  distribution  and  ways  in  which  the 
materials are accessed are continuing to shift as technologies change: this requires the hotlines 
to  continue  to  develop  their  strategies  and  tools  so  that  they  can  collectively  identify  and 
combat the presence of child abuse material in its changing online contexts.  
The Commission will 
• 

encourage the INHOPE network of hotlines to increase its global membership which 
currently  includes  countries  such  as  Russia,  Japan,  US,  South  Africa,  Australia  or 
South Korea.  
support the implementation of the Council of Europe Convention on Cybercrime and 
the  promotion  of  its  principles  through  ensuring  technical  and  legal  protection 
measures. 
work  with  international  partners  through  structures  such  as  the  EU-US  Working 
Group on Cyber-Security and Cyber-Crime, which sets out common priorities in the 
area, including cooperation for removing child pornography from the internet and for 
enhancing child online empowerment. 
co-organize an EU-US conference in autumn 2012. 
try  to  reach  out  to  other  regions  of  the  world  and  support  cooperation  on  a  global 
level. 

• 

• 

• 
• 

Member States are invited to 
• 
Industry is invited to  

support the Commission in its efforts to boost cooperation with international partners 

• 

3. 

exchange best practice in this field and cooperate with partners all over the world  

CONCLUSIONS 

While  the  Internet,  the  devices  used  to  access  it  and  the  services  available  today  were  not 
created specifically for use by children, research shows that they are increasingly prominent 
users. Children therefore form a specific group requiring attention: the way children behave 
today  online  will  help  define  tomorrow’s  digital  world.  A  joined-up  European  effort  in  this 
field will support the development of interoperable and sustainable infrastructures to deliver a 
better  internet  for  children,  and  will  boost  growth  and  innovation.  Scaling  up  awareness 
raising, digital skills and media literacy for children will improve their jobs perspectives and 
employability  and  help  them  become  confident  digital  citizens.  Stimulating  the  potential  of 

53 

Internet Watch Foundation (the UK hotline): Annual and Charity Report 2011. 

EN 

15 

   EN 

 
                                                 
interactive  content  for  children  will  contribute  to  a  vibrant  European  digital  single  market. 
Ongoing  effective  industry  self-regulation  for  the  protection  and  empowerment  of  young 
people,  with  the  appropriate  benchmarks  and  independent  monitoring  systems  in  place,  is 
needed  to  build  trust  in  a  sustainable  and  accountable  governance  model  that  could  bring 
more flexible, timely and market-appropriate solutions than any regulatory initiatives. At the 
same  time,  the  Commission  will  continue  to  provide  support  for  placing  topics  about  child 
online safety on the agenda of events such as the Internet Governance Forum and to share best 
practices  with  other  international  organisations  active  in  this  area.  It  will  continue  to 
encourage  EU-funded  projects  to  work  with  international  partners,  and  will  continue  to 
organise the Safer Internet Forum international conference, which has been bringing together 
stakeholders from all over the world to discuss child online safety since 2004.  
Member State authorities, industry and other relevant stakeholders are invited to endorse the 
proposed  strategy  and  to  take  steps  to  ensure  its  successful  implementation,  through 
cooperation with all other interested groups.  
The Commission will put in place a benchmarking of child online safety policies and actions 
across Europe, including an analysis of the resources used and their breakdown between the 
Commission,  the  Member  States,  the  private  and  the  voluntary  sectors.  It  will  also  monitor 
closely the implementation of the current self-regulatory agreements signed by industry.  

Overview of actions 

Action 

Main actors  

Timescale 

Pillar 1 — High-quality content online for children and young people 

Stimulating  the  production  of  creative 
for 
and  educational  online  content 
children 

Commission, 
with 
support  from  Member 
States and industry  

Continuously from 2012 

Promoting  positive  online  experiences 
for young children  

with 
Commission, 
support  from  Member 
States and industry  

Continuously from 2012 

Pillar 2 — Stepping up awareness and empowerment  

Digital  and  media  literacy  and  teaching 
online safety in schools 

Scaling  up  awareness  activities  and 
youth participation 

Member  States,  with 
from 
support 
Commission 
and 
industry 

Commission, 
with 
support  from  Member 
States and industry  

By 2013 

Continuously from 2012 

Simple  and  robust  reporting  tools  for 
users 

Industry, with support 
from Commission and 
Member States 

First results by end 2012. 
Full 
implementation 
within 18 months 

EN 

16 

   EN 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Pillar 3 — Creating a safe environment for children online 

Age-appropriate privacy settings  

Wider  availability  and  use  of  parental 
controls 

Wider  use  of  age  rating  and  content 
classification 

Online advertising and overspending  

Industry, with support 
from Commission and 
Member States 

First results by end 2012. 
Full 
implementation 
within 18 months 

Industry, with support 
from Commission and 
Member States 

First results by end 2012. 
Full 
implementation 
within 18 months 

Industry, with support 
from Commission and 
Member States 

First results by end 2012. 
Fully  fledged  proposals 
within 18 months 

Industry, with support 
from Commission and 
Member States 

Continuously from 2012 

Pillar 4 — Fighting against child sexual abuse and child sexual exploitation  

Faster  and  systematic  identification  of 
child sexual abuse material disseminated 
channels, 
various 
through 
notification  and 
this 
material 

takedown  of 

online 

Commission, 
with 
support  from  Member 
States and industry  

Continuously  from  2012, 
with  first  results  by  end 
2012 

Cooperating  with  international  partners 
to  fight  against  child  sexual  abuse  and 
child sexual exploitation  

with 
Commission, 
support  from  Member 
States and industry 

Continuously from 2012 

EN 

17 

   EN