The European Parliament's Internal Market and Consumer Protection (IMCO) committee on 24 June 2026 debated protection of minors online, revealing a split between those advocating bans on harmful design and those favouring evidence-based, safety-by-design approaches. The debate covered enforcement of the Digital Services Act (DSA), the upcoming Digital Fairness Act (DFA), the Consumer Protection Cooperation (CPC) revision, and the Audiovisual Media Services Directive (AVMSD).
Commission official H. Gambs outlined a horizontal approach using DSA, consumer law, and DFA. Meta's T. Hopkins defended teen accounts with default protections, but Laura Ballarín Cereza (S&D) claimed they 'just don't work' after an 11-year-old account was created without controls. A parent advocate and Kids Unplugged Belgium called for raising the minimum age to 16 and treating tech as a regulated sector. Pablo Arias Echeverría (EPP) urged caution and evidence-based policy. Jan Penfraud (EDRi) argued bans are ineffective and potentially harmful, while Alexandra Geese (Greens-EFA) supported a ban, calling DOT Europe's call for evidence 'mockery' due to restricted researcher access. On age verification, CDT Europe opposed hard ID tools, while the Commission's Renata defended the EU digital wallet's privacy-friendly design. Enforcement speed was criticized; Sérgio Humberto (EPP) noted the CPC revision aims for binding timelines.
Consensus existed on prioritizing minor protection and needing faster enforcement, but diverged on bans vs. safety-by-design. Next steps include DFA adoption and AVMSD review. Affected stakeholders: minors, parents, platforms, consumer groups, and regulators.