The European Commission hosted a virtual workshop with online marketplaces with more than 45 million users in the EU to discuss the implementation of the Guidelines on the protection of minors under the Digital Services Act (DSA). The workshop’s objective was to discuss with online marketplaces their existing and upcoming measures to ensure a high level of privacy, safety and security for minors as required under Article 28(1) of the DSA.
The workshop gathered representatives from AliExpress, Amazon, Shein, Temu and Zalando as well as TikTok Shop and the two app stores Apple App store and Google Play. Digital Services Coordinators from Germany, Ireland, Luxembourg and the Netherlands were also present. These authorities share the responsibility of implementing the DSA Guidelines on the protection of minors for these platforms with the Commission.
The discussions focused on 2 themes:
- Age assurance, account settings and interface design: Participants explored requirements for age assurance under the guidelines and the guidelines’ recommendations for account settings and interface design to enhance minors' safety, as well as how they may apply to online marketplaces.
- Commercial practices, content moderation and reporting: The workshop also delved into commercial techniques that might exploit minors' lack of commercial literacy and manipulative marketing practices. Participants also shared insights on reporting mechanisms, moderation policies, and user support tools. Including how their online platforms are approaching these issues in practice.
The Commission will continue to work closely with industry to ensure the Guidelines are effectively implemented across all platforms accessible to minors. If necessary, the Commission may also take further enforcement actions to address issues related to the protection of minors.