Tech In Depth

Europe’s Attempt to Protect Children Online Crashes into Its Privacy Laws

The region tries to balance the rights of users online with keeping children safe

Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, in February at an informal European Union retreat in Rijkhoven, Belgium. Von der Leyen has made online child safety a priority.Photographer: Simon Wohlfahrt/Bloomberg

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By Gian Volpicelli

April 24, 2026 at 11:02 AM UTC

This article is for subscribers only.

Welcome to Tech In Depth, our daily newsletter about the business of tech from Bloomberg’s journalists around the world. Today, Gian Volpicelli looks at the tension in Europe between preserving privacy and protecting children online.

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