Protecting Children Online: The Role of Design and Regulation
Introduction to Lorena Giuberti Coutinho
Lorena Giuberti Coutinho stands out as a prominent figure in the discourse on digital safety for children. Serving as a commissioner at Brazil’s National Data Protection Agency (ANPD) and a Professor at IDP in Brasília, she has leveraged her experience as an economist at the OECD to influence discussions around online protection. Her insights stem from her involvement in crucial research, including the Growing Up in the Social Media Age report. It is essential to note that the opinions expressed here reflect her views and do not officially represent the ANPD.
- Introduction to Lorena Giuberti Coutinho
- The Growing Consensus on Online Child Safety
- Understanding the Risks of Social Media Use
- ECA Digital: A Shift Towards Safe by Design
- Addressing Behavioral Biases in Platform Design
- The Role of Network Effects in User Behavior
- Fostering Healthy Online Habits
- Balancing Opportunities and Safety
The Growing Consensus on Online Child Safety
Globally, there is an increasing acknowledgment among governments that children require enhanced protection in the digital realm. Nations like Australia and the UK are implementing age restrictions—mandating users to be at least 16 to access social media platforms. This trend highlights a shared concern: many online environments were not designed with the interests of children in mind. Brazil’s approach, articulated through the new ECA Digital law (Law No. 15.211/2025), takes a distinctive route by emphasizing risk reduction within platform design rather than imposing outright access restrictions.
Understanding the Risks of Social Media Use
A pivotal question arises: is the potential harm from using social media or from excessive use? Research points to a complex relationship between social media usage and negative outcomes for young users. The OECD’s analysis of PISA 2022 data offers considerable insights. It indicates that among 15-year-olds, moderate social media use is correlated with better academic performance in mathematics. Interestingly, users who engage with social media for up to three hours a day tend to perform well, while both non-users and heavy users struggle academically. This correlation highlights the role of intensity in social media engagement, underscoring the need for regulatory attention.
ECA Digital: A Shift Towards Safe by Design
The ECA Digital law aligns with a growing international principle of “safe by design.” Instead of relegating responsibility solely to parents or children, this law mandates that platforms proactively identify and mitigate foreseeable risks. Specifically, Article 17 of the law requires service providers to establish the highest levels of protection by default and to limit features engineered to extend usage, such as auto-play, notifications, and rewards for time spent online. This strategy hinges on the understanding that users tend to stick with default settings. By making protective defaults the norm, the law shifts the onus away from individual user choice.
Addressing Behavioral Biases in Platform Design
The decree implementing the ECA Digital law goes even further. It outlines specific design practices that platforms must avoid, including infinite scrolling and excessive notifications—all tactics known to encourage compulsive use. By prioritizing user safety in the design phase, the law recognizes the behavioral biases that often lead to unhealthy online habits among young people.
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The Role of Network Effects in User Behavior
The design of social media platforms is critically important not just due to their inherent features but also because of network effects. Findings from a recent NBER study reveal that the interconnectedness of users makes it challenging to shift individual behavior. This complexity highlights why regulatory changes at the design level are essential; they do not rely solely on individual users deciding to limit their own digital consumption.
Fostering Healthy Online Habits
The desire for tools that help moderate usage is palpable among younger audiences. Surveys indicate that 72% of children under 16 would prefer features that assist in managing their social media time. This data advocates for the implementation of design strategies that foster healthy online habits while preserving the positive aspects of moderate social media use. In combination with age restrictions, these design obligations can create a safer environment for children.
Balancing Opportunities and Safety
Emerging online-safety laws around the world reflect a crucial shift of responsibility towards the providers of digital platforms. This approach emphasizes that safeguarding children online should not fall solely on parents or children, especially when many services were not originally crafted with their welfare in mind. The ECA Digital law asserts that there remains a possibility to strike a balance between allowing children to enjoy the benefits of being online while simultaneously protecting them from inherent risks.
These progressive legal frameworks advocate for design that prioritizes user safety and requires platforms to consider the unique vulnerabilities of young users. As countries look towards enhancing online safety regulations, the evidence suggests that focusing on platform design will likely yield a more substantial impact than merely imposing age restrictions.
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