
In a digital environment with hardly any clear rules, children have become the weakest link. The report ‘Networks that entrap’, prepared by Save the Children with collaboration from the European Association for Digital Transition (EADT), makes it clear: crimes of sexual exploitation and violence against children have moved forcefully to the online world. And this has happened in an ecosystem that not only doesn’t stop these crimes, but often magnifies them.
One of the most alarming statistics seen in the study is that 94% of victims of online sexual violence are girls. And even more serious, more than half are between the ages of 13 and 15. This is an age group that coincides with the beginning of intensive use of social networks and instant messaging, with little mediation or protection from adults.
The report warns that girls, boys and adolescents are being victims of ‘grooming’, ‘sextortion’, coercion and dissemination of private material in a digital space where there are scarcely any limits, responsibilities or supervision. All this happens while the large technology platforms continue to operate without accountability and the existing regulations are outdated, diffuse or simply unenforceable.
The time for complacency is over. It is not enough to appeal to the platforms to self-regulate or to hold only families accountable. The protection of children in the digital environment must be a State policy and a legislative priority.
At the EADT, we want to contribute an expert vision of the digital ecosystem and its deep asymmetry to this report: In the face of increasingly young and vulnerable users, companies are operating that have enormous technological and economic capacity, whose business model is often based on maximizing exposure time, even if this means exposing minors to harmful, addictive or directly criminal content.
Regulation is urgent, possible and necessary. Spain has already taken steps with creation of the Spanish Agency for the Supervision of Artificial Intelligence (AESIA) and with the debate on the Law on Protection of Minors in Digital Environments. But the legislative pace remains insufficient when facing the velocity of the risks. We need clear, enforceable regulations, with effective control and sanctioning mechanisms and a framework that demands proactive accountability from the platforms regarding protection of minors.
Additionally, there is an urgent need to strengthen digital education in schools, increase training for families and professionals, and to give law enforcement agencies and the judiciary specific resources to investigate online crimes against minors.
The message is clear: children cannot wait. Protecting them in the digital world is not just a question of rights, it is a legal, ethical and democratic obligation.