ANCOM warns online platforms that the use of minors' personal data for advertising purposes is prohibited
The National Authority for Administration and Regulation in Communications (ANCOM) warns online platforms that they cannot use the personal data of minors for profiling-based advertising, and that digital services must be designed in such a way as to effectively protect children and adolescents.
ANCOM recommends using parental control applications. PHOTO Shutterstock
The institution emphasizes the obligation of platforms to implement effective mechanisms for reporting and content moderation, in accordance with the Digital Services Regulation (DSA).
According to a statement from ANCOM, platforms must take into account the specific vulnerabilities of minors when developing interfaces, recommendation systems or functionalities that can influence the behavior of young users.
“Our children discover the Internet from an early age, and with the opportunities come risks: exposure to inappropriate content, cyberbullying, fraud… The protection of minors in the online environment is a shared responsibility: parents, teachers, institutions and the community”ANCOM sent, on Monday, on Children's Day, in a post on Facebook.
The authority also explained the ABCs of a safer digital environment:
“Let's establish clear rules for using the Internet. Let's use parental control apps. Let's talk openly with children about what do i do online. Let's teach them not to give out personal data, not to interact with strangers and to report any suspicious situation. Online safety starts at home with education and trust.”
The Digital Services Regulation (DSA) introduces clear obligations for online platforms and sets out measures to help create a safer digital space for minors.
“The European regulation on DSA is a European first in the regulation of online platforms. With the new rules fully applicable from 2024, the EU has strengthened the protection of minors in the digital environment, and platforms have the obligation to adopt additional measures for the safety of minors. The European Commission supervises online platforms and very large online engines and conducts investigations to check how they comply with obligations, including those on the protection of minors.” states ANCOM.
Obligations for online platforms
According to the DSA, platforms accessible to minors must ensure a high level of privacy and security. ANCOM reminds that: the use of minors' personal data for profiling-based advertising purposes is prohibited, platforms are required to implement effective reporting and moderation mechanisms, digital services must be designed in such a way as to protect minors by design.
To reduce risks, the European Commission has developed a set of “the guidelines on the protection of minors in the online environment”which include measures against grooming, harmful content, digital addiction, cyberbullying or exposure to material that promotes self-harm or dangerous challenges.
Recommendations for very large platforms
Although the guidelines are not binding, they are a benchmark for assessing DSA compliance. Recommendations for platforms include:
assessing and reducing the risks to which minors are exposed,
designing interfaces so that safety is integrated into the design,
verifying or estimating the age of users,
setting minors' accounts to private by default,
adapting recommendation systems to limit exposure to harmful content,
avoiding design elements that can create addiction,
effective mechanisms for reporting illegal or harmful content,
parental control tools.
Between April and May 2026, ANCOM ran an information campaign regarding DSA and the protection of minors, and will continue these actions in the fall.
Supervision responsibility differs by platform type
For very large platforms (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Snapchat), supervision is mainly carried out by the European Commission.
For the platforms established in Romania, the responsibility rests with ANCOM.
For platforms based in other EU states, ANCOM redirects complaints to the competent coordinators.
