The kids are alright?!

Across Brussels, debates on children’s digital well-being are accelerating. Several measures are gaining political momentum, requiring a solid evidence base. Andras Molnar, Senior Digital Policy Manager and Director of Online Safety, contributed to this shifting landscape in conversations with politicians, policymakers, researchers, civil-society leaders and industry voices, by providing key insights and solid evidence-base from research to these stakeholders.

At a high-level working lunch hosted by the Lisbon Council, Andras presented insights from the Frontiers in Digital Child Safety report. The conversation moved quickly past narrow protection narratives toward a broader question: what does it take to build a digital environment where children can genuinely thrive and safely enjoy its benefits? Bringing together Commission officials, parliamentarians, NGOs, academics and industry leaders, the session highlighted both the shared ambition and the complexity of that goal.

At the European Commission’s Protection of Minors Unit, Andras gave a speech to officials grounded in our projects’ research. Officials welcomed this work and echoed how urgently Europe needs further research  on the benefits of the digital environment for young people as major decisions approach. 

Together, these engagements point to a decisive moment. Europe is rethinking how children should experience the digital world, and the window for shaping that future with clarity and methodological rigor is still open. We’re committed to ensuring that the TUM Think Tank’s online safety arm and the Youth & Media Lab’s analytical work helps anchor this debate, centering children’s rights and lived experiences, while keeping evidence and nuance at the forefront as decisions accelerate.

If you want to dive deeper into the analytical work informing these debates, you can read the Frontiers in Digital Child Safety report or read up on the Youth & Media Lab’s work.