The European Union wants apps, websites, games and social media to be fair and safe for consumers in general, and children as young consumers in particular.
To make this happen, as part of the preparation of the EU’s upcoming Digital Fairness Act (DFA), we asked EU children and teenagers for their input through an online survey in April 2026.
Children said that they want the online world to be safer, fairer and easier to understand. They were clear that stronger rules are needed where online services may be unfair, harmful, addictive, or designed in ways that make children spend more money than they intend.
Who did we hear from?
- 4,786 children and teenagers aged 12-17
- from all 27 EU countries
- 54% girls, 42% boys, 1% other, 3% didn’t say
Digital product designs that are safe by default and designed with the well-being of children and adolescents in mind, not to cause harm or dependence.
What children said
- Features
- Nearly half of the surveyed children asked for some kind of rule or control on design features such as infinite scroll.
- A vast majority of children supported some kind of rule for loot boxes. Nearly a third thought they should be banned for children, and another third wanted the chances of winning each item to be clearly shown.
- Adverts and prices
- More than half of the surveyed children wanted stronger rules on personalised adverts and different prices.
- Over a third of children said they did not like personalised adverts, while nearly a third said they did not really mind them.
- A majority opposed websites and online shops showing different prices to different people.
- Influencers
- A majority of children said influencers should only be allowed to promote products to children that are safe and appropriate.
- A vast majority said that certain products such as gambling and betting apps should not be promoted.
- Age limits and checks
- A vast majority of children supported age limits for joining social media but responses varied on specific ages and where and how limits should be applied.
- Children suggested more flexible approaches to social media access and rules, including:
- Having parents as decision makers
- Access depending on maturity, not just age
- Staged access to different platforms by age
- Content or feature restrictions by age
- Different rules by app or content type
- A majority of children supported some form of age check, with nearly half saying age checks were a good idea, and nearly a third that age checks should only happen sometimes; on specific apps and websites.
Don’t be too restrictive; it’s better to invest in educating and informing children so they can cope better. Prevention is better than prohibition.
What children want
Children shared their ideas on what the EU could do to make the online world fairer and safer for children and teenagers.
- Teach children more about online safety
- Help parents and carers understand the online world
- Use age limits and age checks carefully
Limit access to harmful content for children
Make platforms safe-by-design and safe-by-default
Give children more control over algorithms
Improve reporting, moderation and enforcement
Protect children’s privacy and data, while avoiding turning safety into surveillance
Create safer spaces and tools for children and teenagers
Support children’s mental health and offline life
What happens next?
- July 2026: full survey results published (in English)
- Q3 2026: child-friendly survey results published (in all EU languages)
- Following the adoption of the DFA, a child-friendly Act will be published in all EU languages
Did you know that he EU has other rules to help keep children safe online, like the Digital Services Act (DSA)?
Read all about the Digital Services Act