Brazil rolls out law boosting online protection of minors

Brazil rolls out law boosting online protection of minors Brazil now enforces a sweeping new law that aims to make the internet safer for children and teens By ELÉONORE HUGHES Associated Press March 19, 2026, 5:37 PM RIO DE JANEIRO -- A Brazilian law that seeks to shield minors from addictive, violent and pornographic online content took effect this week, with experts calling it a milestone in the protection of children and adolescents. The issue gained traction in August, after influencer Felipe Bressanim, known as Felca, published a video denouncing the sexualization of children and adolescents online. The 50-minute video, which has 52 million views on YouTube, accelerated the approval of a bill that had been in the works since 2022. The Digital Statute of Children and Adolescents passed both houses of Congress and was sanctioned by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in September. It came into force on Tuesday. Under the new law, minors under 16 are required to link their social media accounts to a legal guardian to ensure supervision. The legislation also prohibits platforms from using addictive features such as infinite scroll and the automatic play of videos. Digital services are also obliged to implement an effective age verification mechanism that goes beyond self-declaration that the user is over 18 to protect them from accessing inappropriate or prohibited material. “We can no longer think that freedom doesn’t go hand in hand with protection,” said Lula during Wednesday's signing ceremony. “Enough of tolerating exploitation, sexual abuse, child pornography, bullying, incitement to violence and self-harm just because it happens in the digital environment.” Maria Mello, head of the digital branch at the Alana Institute that defends the rights of children, said that manipulative design meant to keep people engaged is particularly harmful for children. “It increases anxiety levels, pulls children out of school, causes vision problems,” Mello said. Other issues...