The European Audiovisual Observatory publishes a new free report on the provisions in European media law aimed at protecting minors from harmful content online.
This new report entitled “AVMSDigest - Safe screens: protecting minors online” unpacks the Audiovisual Media Services Directive (AVMSD). The authors drill down into those parts of this Directive which aim at protecting children and young people from content on video sharing platforms which could be psychologically damaging. The report helps to define harmful content before looking at the various tools available in Europe to protect the young: age verification mechanisms, content flagging systems and parental control options built into the parameters of the platform. These different mechanisms are examined both from a theoretical, legal viewpoint as well as from their actual practical application.
The geographic scope of this report is the European Union, the UK, Norway, Liechtenstein, Switzerland and Iceland.
The authors conclude that the power to oblige the video sharing platforms to comply with the rules outlined by the AVMSD lies in the hands of national regulatory authorities. Sanctions most often take the form of fines but can also have a direct impact on distribution and access of content.
Free download of this report.
