Brazil enacts age verification law for minors online

RIO DE JANEIRO (CN) — Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on Wednesday signed into law new rules governing the use of social media, online video games and other digital services by children and adolescents.

Known as the “Adultization Bill” — a shorthand used in Brazil to describe its aim of protecting children from premature exposure to adult content — or “Digital ECA,” for updating a 1990 law that guarantees fundamental rights for minors, the law will take effect in 180 days.

In his speech, Lula said the law represents a step toward Brazil’s digital sovereignty and stressed that foreign companies are welcome as long as they comply with national legislation.

He also criticized Big Tech’s lack of self-regulation, defended stronger protections for children and announced a provisional decree that turns the National Data Protection Authority into an autonomous agency.

“Freedom of expression is a nonnegotiable value, but it cannot serve as an excuse for committing crimes in the digital world,” he said.

The law requires digital platforms to adopt safeguards, limits the collection of data from minors and sets harsh penalties for violations.

It places responsibility on tech companies to take “reasonable steps” to prevent children and adolescents from being exposed to illegal or inappropriate content. This includes sexual exploitation and abuse, harassment, violence, encouragement of self-harm, gambling, deceptive advertising and other predatory practices.

Platforms must also provide parental control tools set by default to the highest level of protection, including time limits, restrictions on unauthorized adult contacts, blocking geolocation and controlling content recommendations.

Age verification is now mandatory. Until now, most platforms relied on self-declaration, with users simply confirming they were over 18. The new law bans that practice and requires robust mechanisms, still to be defined by regulation, to prevent minors from accessing inappropriate content.

In addition, accounts of users under age 16 must be linked to responsible adults, who will receive usage reports and be able to restrict interactions.

If companies fail to comply, they may face penalties such as fines of up to 10% of their revenue in Brazil, capped at $10 million per violation, according to Stephanie Almeida, a lawyer at São Paulo-based Poliszezuk Advogados who specializes in civil and corporate law.

Luiza Teixeira, a child protection specialist at UNICEF Brazil, said the law is “very robust, with high technical quality.” She noted that while digital technologies and the internet provide opportunities for learning, freedom of expression and connection with others, they can also expose children and adolescents to serious risks.

According to João Victor Archegas, a lawyer and researcher at the Rio de Janeiro-based Institute for Technology and Society, the bill is more specific than the Statute of Children and Adolescents, the Brazilian Internet Bill of Rights and the General Data Protection Law.

“These are important legal frameworks in the country, because they address protection of fundamental rights online and of minors,” he said, “but there was still a lack of specific normative language on the use of social media and digital platforms by this audience.”

The bill was introduced in 2022 and moved slowly until it gained traction on Aug. 6, when a video by influencer Felipe Bressanim Pereira, known as Felca, raised attention to cases of child exploitation on digital platforms.

The debate grew louder after the Aug. 15 arrest of influencer Hytalo Santos, accused of producing and sharing sexual content involving minors.

Data from SaferNet Brasil, which tracks reports of human rights violations on the internet, shows a growing problem. Between Jan. 1 and July 31, 2025, the organization registered 76,997 cases, of which 49,336 (64%)were related to child sexual abuse and exploitation. After Felca’s video went viral, reports of child pornography more than doubled.

The UNICEF specialist warned that generative artificial intelligence is amplifying risks, enabling the manipulation of seemingly harmless images of children into sexualized material, shared on open pedophile networks. “Contrary to common belief, it is not just on the dark web,” Teixeira said.

After the uproar, the lower house approved the text on Aug. 21 with minor changes, and the Senate confirmed the final version a week later before sending it for presidential approval. During the vote, there were few objections, though some senators warned of the risk of opening the door to greater state control of the internet.

“The bill was seen by some as a ‘thermometer’ for broader regulation of Big Tech in Brazil,” Almeida said. “Opponents argue that the text, in its current form, could open precedents for restricting freedom of expression, while supporters stress that the proposal actually seeks to restore parents’ power to oversee their children’s digital lives.”

Ariel de Castro Alves, one of Brazil’s leading experts on child rights, said the new law will only be a first step toward broader protection of children and adolescents. “The internet cannot be a lawless land,” he said.

He explained that under the new law, companies will need to have structures in place for removing content that violates children’s rights, with specialized technical teams. They will also need to create adequate reporting channels, invest in protection systems and “can no longer simply profit from views, engagement and boosted content” that infringe on children’s rights.

Alves added that besides the law, it is necessary to establish a content rating system like the one for television programs and shows, and to include safe internet use education in school curricula.

Teixeira said the law “put Brazil on equal footing with other countries that already had a robust legal and political framework for protecting children and adolescents online, such as England,” but that the challenge “will be to regulate and put it into practice.”

Archegas pointed to three challenges for implementing the new law: from a technical perspective, implementing age verification mechanisms without digital exclusion or excessive surveillance; on the economic side, since adapting global products to the Brazilian context could be costly and face resistance; and with enforcement, as the effectiveness of the rules will depend on the country’s ability to ensure compliance.

Courthouse News reporter Marília Marasciulo is based in Brazil.