One year to protect children

Tech firms have 12 months to ensure their platforms adhere to new child privacy protection measures.

The Age Appropriate Design Code sets out 15 standards that companies must build into any online services used by children, making data protection of young people a priority from the design up.

These can stretch from apps and connected toys, to social media sites and online games, and even educational websites. Organisations that fail to follow the code after the transition period ends on 2 September next year could face enforcement action by data regulator ICO (Information Commissioner’s Office), which include compulsory audits, orders to stop processing and fines of up to 4 per cent of global turnover. Under the rules, privacy settings must be set to high by default and nudge techniques should not be used to encourage children to weaken their settings.