140+ organisations and experts call for tech to be certified as safe for kids – or see their market access restricted

More than 140 organisations and experts have jointly called on European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to require tech to be certified as safe for children – or face restrictions on EU market access.

79 civil society organisations and 62 leading experts in child rights, digital rights, mental health and online safety have issued a joint statement to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen urging the EU to act swiftly to impose a pre-certification requirement on tech accessible to children, and ensure robust enforcement of the law.

The intervention comes as the European Commission considers new measures to strengthen protections for children online. Led by 5Rights Foundation and supported by organisations and experts from across Europe and beyond, it calls on EU policymakers to focus on the design of digital products and services, ensuring that technology companies are legally required to make services safe, privacy-protective and age-appropriate by design and by default.

The statement argues that effective online safety measures must address the features and business practices that drive harm, including behavioural profiling, manipulative and addictive design, recommender systems that amplify harmful content, and commercial practices that exploit children’s data.

Age-based restrictions have a role to play, the signatories agree, but to be both rights-respecting and effective, they must be tech neutral, clearly drive towards age-appropriate design and be imposed on the appropriate subject: tech companies and not children.

The signatories call for strengthened and harmonised enforcement mechanisms, with increased centralisation or avenues for rapid escalation to the EU level, as well as a clear mandating of market access restrictions and director liability in cases of non-compliance.

They call on the European Union to strengthen and expand its digital rulebook with a child-focused legal initiative that:

• Requires all digital services accessible to children to meet clear age-appropriate, safety and privacy standards;
• Establishes independent risk assessments and child safety certification before services can be made available to children, together with auditing;
• Robustly enforces existing protections against the exploitation of children’s personal data, with a default ban on processing when the child is under 13;
• Restricts harmful features and functionalities that create risks for children, while mandating safeguards;
• Pairs a “safety-by-design” prerequisite with age assurance that is both robust and privacy-preserving; and
• Ensures strong accountability and enforcement mechanisms across all digital products and services, including gaming, AI and emerging technologies.

In addition to these legal measures, the group calls for state support for the development of alternative safe spaces and quality content for children.

Leanda Barrington-Leach, Executive Director of at 5Rights Foundation said,