On 11 September 2026, the expert commission on ‘Protecting Children and Young People in the Digital World’, set up by the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, submitted its final report, containing 56 recommendations for action, to Federal Minister Karin Prien. She presented a key points paper to the Federal Cabinet on 14 October 2026. This document sets out initial measures to implement the expert commission’s recommendations for action.

At the closing of its 101st session, the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child announced that it would be working on a further General Comment. This will be the 28th General Comment and will address the relationship between emerging technologies and their impact on children’s rights.

On 17 September, the European Commission presented the proposal of the EU Kids Act. The draft seeks to protect minors from risky digital services and artificial intelligence applications. In the following article we are summarizing the regulatory approach set out in the European Commission’s proposal for an EU KIDS Act.

On the occasion of the United Nations General Assembly, to be held from 22 to 28 September 2026 in New York (USA), more than 125 organisations and experts are reiterating their joint statement on children’s rights and artificial intelligence. They had already drawn attention to these issues at the Global Dialogue on AI Governance in July 2026 in Geneva (Switzerland), emphasising that children’s rights in relation to the digital environment must also be applied in the context of artificial intelligence as set out by the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child in 2021 in its General Comment No. 25 on the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

The 2026 consultation phase for the EU Youth Dialogue has begun. The 12th Youth Dialogue, which facilitates the participation of young people in the European Union, focuses on European Youth Goal No. 4: Information and Constructive Dialogue. To this end, the perspectives of young people who can share their experiences in the digital world are sought. Topics include social media and artificial intelligence.