Dublin (Brussel Morning Newspaper) – MEP Sean Kelly has called on the European Commission to enhance its enforcement of online safety rules to safeguard young people online.
Latest statistics indicated that nearly 60% of children between the ages of eight and twelve had undergone harmful or improper content when online. Ex-GAA President and MEP Sean Kelly has specified the unhealthy activities of online influencers, loot boxes in video games, and advertising as some of the main sticking issues of safe online activity. He expresses children frequently fall victim to a system that was not originally developed with their usage in mind.
How does online content affect children’s safety in Europe?
According to the EU Kids Online project, studies have shown that children are exposed to various risks through online content: pornography, violent or hateful content, and cyberbullying. Such risks seem to be commonplace across different countries in Europe, whereas the exposure to specific contents differs. In 2023, an impressive 97% of young people in the EU reported using the internet every day. This high level of engagement increases their exposure to potential dangers online, emphasizing the need for effective protective measures and digital literacy programs.
Thus, vulnerable children are more prone to dangers online. Other factors, like socio-economic status and lack of digital literacy, exacerbate the vulnerabilities. The EU noticed the key issues to be tackled and, as a means of protecting children from these scenarios, developed initiatives to enhance child safety online by developing digital literacy, enhancing parental controls, and enabling children to surf the internet with full safety.
