The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) launched a campaign called ‘Think. Check. Share’ (the Campaign) on 29 January 2024, to promote responsible data sharing to safeguard children. The Campaign aims to provide organisations with the information they need to be able to safely share data for the protection of children and young people. This follows the ICO publishing a 10-step practical guide in September 2023 outlining methods for organisations to safely share data to protect children from physical, emotional and mental harm.

As part of the Campaign, the ICO has created a toolkit of free marketing materials to promote responsible data sharing, that organisations can download and use, including posters, videos, infographics and social media content.

The ICO’s press release is available here, and the toolkit here.

On 29 January 2024, the Spanish DPA (AEPD) released its global strategy on children, digital health and privacy (the Strategy), with the aim of promoting effective protection of children and adolescents in their use of the internet. The Strategy sets out 10 priority actions and 35 measures grouped into three categories:

• regulatory collaboration for the protection of children and adolescents on the internet;
• reinforcement (e.g. through promoting age verification apps, and providing families with digital training and resources) to guarantee minors’ rights; and
• investigative powers and sanctions against illicit and harmful practices.

The AEPD press release is available here (in Spanish only).