[Commlist] Call for Papers: ‘Age-appropriate design of online platforms: questions for EU law and children’srights’

** Call for Papers: ‘Age-appropriate design of online platforms: 
questions for EU law and children’s rights’ **

Governments and parents throughout Europe are demanding that minors are 
better protected when they go online. So far, much of the debate has 
concentrated on social media age limits. France has adopted statutory 
social media age restrictions. Similar efforts are being made in other 
European countries. There is also increasing political pressure on the 
EU to take action. In response to that, the European Commission 
established a panel of experts to advise on child safety online. After 
the co-chairs of the panel presented their final report in July 2026, 
Commission President Ursula von der Leyen expressed her support for 
‘phased and gradual access for different age ranges’.

When it comes to protecting minors online, social media age limits are 
just one possible solution to a complex and broad problem. First, the 
problem is broader than social media, as online games and AI chatbots 
present similar risks to social media, including exposure to harmful 
content, manipulation, grooming, and problematic or addicted use. 
Second, social media age limits presume there is a single ‘right’ age to 
start using these services, whereas a children’s rights perspective 
requires age-appropriate design of online services that respects 
children’s evolving capacities. The final report of the co-chairs of the 
special panel acknowledges these issues. It speaks of ‘social media+’ 
instead of just social media and calls for ‘age-appropriate regulation’ 
of such services, which signals the policy debate may be moving beyond 
simple age limits.

Age-appropriate design of online services raises many questions on the 
intersection of children’s rights and EU law. For instance, what is the 
role of EU platform regulation and data protection law in ensuring 
age-appropriate design of social media, online games, and AI chatbots? 
Furthermore, how do different solutions to ensure age-appropriate design 
relate to children’s human rights? For example, if countries implement 
statutory age limits of 16 years for social media, then is the 
interference this poses with children’s right to freedom of expression 
justified in light of its aim? Another question is to what extent the EU 
has competence to legislate EU-wide design or access requirements for 
online services used by minors. At the same time, it can be asked how 
social media age limits and other solutions at the national-legal level 
relate to the Digital Services Act’s fully harmonised regime. It is also 
an open question which services should be addressed in protecting 
children online, and how the targeted services should be defined.

The fast developments around social media age limits and the protection 
of minors online necessitate critical reflection from different legal 
perspectives. It is crucial that the discussion does not narrow itself 
to statutory age limits as the only solution available to EU and 
national lawmakers, and that the interaction between children’s rights 
and EU law is sufficiently considered. Therefore, we are organising a 
workshop to bring together scholars working on the protection of minors 
online, from the perspective of either children’s rights or EU law. The 
goal of the workshop is to bring together these different perspectives 
and explore how children’s rights should inform the implementation of 
existing EU laws (platform regulation, data protection, media 
regulation) and possible new legal solutions, including social media age 
limits.
** Submissions **

Are you interested in presenting your work during this workshop? Please 
submit an abstract of a maximum of 750 words to mailto:(s.j.eskens /at/ vu.nl) 
with the subject line ‘Workshop age-appropriate design of online 
platforms’. Please also include a short biography of up to 150 words in 
your submission.

We specifically welcome work in progress so that authors can benefit 
from the wide range of views we aim to bring together. We also encourage 
early-career scholars, including doctoral candidates, to submit an abstract.

The deadline for submitting abstracts is 16 October 2026.
We aim to conclude the selection process mid-November.
** Workshop format **

Accepted contributors will each give a presentation of approximately 15 
to 20 minutes, followed by discussion. This is a discussion-oriented 
workshop, and we ask participants to attend for the full day so that 
everyone can engage with each other’s work.

** Financial support **
This workshop is funded by the Netherlands Network for Human Rights 
Research. There will be a limited amount of financial support available 
to cover accommodation and travel for those with limited institutional 
resources. Should you require funding to enable your participation to 
the workshop, please indicate this when submitting your abstract via email.

** Date and location **

The workshop takes place in person at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, 
which is located at De Boelelaan 1105, 1081 HV Amsterdam.

The date for the workshop is Friday, 19 February 2027.

Attending the workshop is free of charge.

** Contact **

For any questions about the workshop or the submission process, please 
contact Sarah Eskens at mailto:(s.j.eskens /at/ vu.nl).
** Convenors **

Sarah Eskens, Assistant Professor in Law and Technology, Vrije 
Universiteit Amsterdam
Simone van der Hof, Full Professor of Law and Digital Technology, Leiden 
University
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