Protecting Children in the Digital World

Children have the right to grow up safe and protected. This responsibility also extends to the digital world.

As a member of the European Parliament Intergroup on Children's Rights, I am committed to ensuring that the European Union takes effective action against online child sexual abuse while safeguarding the fundamental rights of its citizens.

Since the previous interim regulation expired in April 2026, a legal gap has emerged. Online platforms are no longer able in all cases to voluntarily detect and report known child sexual abuse material to the competent authorities. As a result, valuable leads that have played a crucial role in identifying victims and prosecuting offenders are being lost.

According to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, around eight out of ten online child sexual abuse investigations begin with a report from an online platform. At the same time, the number of AI generated child sexual abuse images continues to rise at an alarming rate. These developments underline the urgent need for action at European level.

For this reason, I support extending the current interim regulation until 2028. This will provide legal certainty while allowing time for a permanent European framework to be adopted. The proposal does not introduce new surveillance measures. Instead, it preserves an existing legal framework that enables online platforms to continue using voluntary detection tools to identify known child sexual abuse material.

Protecting children and protecting privacy are not conflicting objectives. Both must be guaranteed. Europe needs balanced solutions that effectively combat child sexual abuse while fully respecting fundamental rights, privacy and the rule of law.

As a member of the European Parliament Intergroup on Children's Rights, I will continue to work for policies that place the rights and wellbeing of children at the heart of European decision making. Protecting children from violence, abuse and exploitation is a shared responsibility, and Europe must continue to meet that responsibility in the digital age.