Safer Internet Day 2026: Privacy Platform Urges Data Protection for Children

The “Privacy Platform” takes the SID 2026 as an opportunity to call for data protection improvements for children and to make its own concrete suggestions

[datensicherheit.de, 09.02.2026] Looking ahead to this year „Safer Internet Day“ (SID) am 10. Februar 2026 demands the “Privacy Platform” Privacy improvements for children and gives concrete Suggestions. In this initiative, funded by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR), experts are investigating “interdisciplinary, critical and independent questions about privacy and data protection in the digital world”. The “Privacy Platform” is operated by Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research (ISI) and the Scientific Center for Information Technology Design (ITeG) coordinated at the University of Kassel.

Better protect children when using social media and other digital services

No matter whether “Instagram” or “Snapchat” – Social networks collect personal data. Children are obviously particularly at risk when it comes to data processing. According to Article 1 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, the term “child” is understood by EU law to mean any person who has not yet reached the age of 18.

• Focused more on the immediate effects and rewards of digital services, minors understand that long-term disadvantages of using services often not yet.

Researchers from the “Privacy Platform” take the SID 2026 as an opportunity to explain why minors in particular in the age of chatbots and artificial intelligence (AI) particularly at risk – and also present proposed solutions so that children and young people are better protected on the Internet, when using social media and other digital services.

Language processing systems could lead children to reveal questionable information

Minors often underestimate how much data is unnoticed being collected about them when using social media and other digital services. But the voluntary transmission of private data will also stop Risk but:

• In particular, language processing systems such as „ChatGPT“ enticed children to reveal a lot of information about themselves when talking to the service.

“The younger the children, the more likely human-like systems are to make them trust them and, as a result, reveal extremely private details to them in conversation.”commented Prof. Dr. Nicole Krämerdirector of the „Research Center Trustworthy Data Science and Security“ at the University of Duisburg-Essen about the results of their social psychological studies.

Children still need to develop awareness of privacy

Knowledge about the consequences of actions only develops gradually among minors. It is therefore often not clear to them “that from the data that they disclose or that arises from observing their behavior, new data is generated about themwhich shape their image of themselves and the world, influence their social relationships and even enable predictions about their behavior”.

• In addition, minors increasingly monitored by their parents would. “Trackers, smartwatches and video surveillance are being used more and more for small children and school children – and applications abroad that use AI to control almost all of young people’s communication.” Especially in the formative phase of childhood, it is important to develop an awareness of one’s own privacy and protection from constant surveillance.

Minors would usually have theirs Rights as a “data subject”as it is called in data protection law, do not yet know. “And even if they were aware of them, they usually wouldn’t be able to notice them.” For these reasons, they have a special need for protection and care when processing their data and in the digital space.

GDPR should take full account of the fact that children are not yet adults

The legislature also takes into account the special duty of protection and care General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) – but not in all necessary aspects. It states in recital 38 sentence 1 that children “(deserve) special protection for their personal data as children may be less aware of the relevant risks, consequences and safeguards and their rights when processing personal data”.

• You take them into account special need for protection of children but only in six regulations. In all other regulations, the GDPR treats children like adults and only offers children selective protection.

However, it is a Overall concept requiredwhich provides the responsible data processors with clear regulations as to in which situations children’s rights and which legal consequences must be taken into account. “Improving data protection for children is central to protecting children in a digital society from unjustified and permanent surveillance. Children’s right to privacy is the basis for them to participate freely and self-determinedly in democracy as future citizens.”emphasized Prof. Dr. Jessica Heesenmedia ethicist at the University of Tübingen.

Suggestions for the GDPR upgrade in the interests of children

A concept for the effective protection of minors is needed capture all essential situationsin which they are exposed to particular risks and in which their ability to identify, assess and protect against risks is limited.

They are there too limited in practice options of their legal guardiansto protect them, to take them into account. “Specific data protection regulations are required for these situations!”

Concrete suggestions to supplement the GDPR:

• The “Privacy Platform” closes Suggestions to improve the GDPR to who the Conference of independent federal and state data protection supervisory authorities (DSK).
• According to these, the GDPR should Processing of a child’s personal data for advertising purposes or for the creation of personality or user profiles, facilitate an objection to data processing if the controller processes a child’s data and exclude a child’s consent to the processing of their data for automated decisions.
• Those responsible should have one when designing their processing systems provide for special protection of the rights of childrenpreset their systems to be data protection-friendly, especially for children, and take special account of the risks for children in their data protection impact assessment. These regulations should be supplemented by specific age restrictions, especially for “social media” and gaming offerings, as well as specific requirements for functioning age verification systems.

Improved child data protection even strengthens the market position of European SMEs

The proposed protection regulations require little effort, but would significantly improve children’s data protection. This improvement is with the Requirements for the online protection of minors in Article 28 “Digital Services Act” and the planned “Digital Fairness Act” to connect.

• They would be an important contribution to the growing up of children responsible citizens and for the protection of democracy.

The Hessian Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information and Spokesperson for the “Privacy Platform”, Prof. Dr. Alexander Roßnageldemands: “The European Commission must supplement its proposals to reform the GDPR with the necessary protection regulations for data protection for children!” These are at least as necessary as relief for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) – especially since they tend to strengthen the competitiveness of SMEs in Europe as weakened because the lack of protection regulations for children has so far primarily offered advantages for US and Chinese tech companies.

Further information on the topic:

Platform privacy
Who we are and what we do

Fraunhofer ISI Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research ISI
together | future | shape / Our research – Fraunhofer ISI conducts research as an independent thought leader for society, politics and business

UNIVERSITY OF KASSELResearch
Scientific Center for Information Technology Design (ITeG)

RUHRResearch Center Trustworthy Data Science and Security
Psychology & Social Sciences / Prof. Nicole Krämer

EBERHARD KARLS UNIVERSITY OF TÜBINGENInternational Center for Ethics in the Sciences (IZEW)
Prof. Dr. Jessica Heesen / Board Member IZEW, Head of the Research Group Media Ethics, Philosophy of Technology & AI

DSK DATA PROTECTION CONFERENCE, November 20, 2025
Resolution of the Conference of Independent Federal and State Data Protection Supervisory Authorities of November 20, 2025: Improving children’s data protection in the General Data Protection Regulation

datenschutz.hessen.de
The HBDI: Prof. Dr. Alexander Roßnagel

Federal Ministry for the Environment, Climate Protection, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety
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