Prof Argyris Stringaris contributes expertise to improve children’s online safety in Europe

On Thursday 16 April 2026, Prof Argyris Stringaris joined a Special Panel in Brussels advising Ursula von der Leyen (President of the European Commission) on how to better protect children online.

The panel brings together experts in mental health, technology, education and children’s rights to shape Europe’s approach to issues such as social media use and age restrictions. At the meeting, Prof Stringaris contributed his expertise on young people’s mental health, helping inform discussions on how to make the online environment safer for children.

Discussions focused on current EU rules and initiatives, as well as international approaches, including Australia’s proposed minimum age for social media. The group also explored practical ways to reduce children’s exposure to harmful content.

A key development highlighted was the European Commission’s new age verification app, designed to confirm a user’s age without sharing personal data. The tool aims to help platforms prevent children from accessing inappropriate content while protecting their privacy.

The panel’s work will help shape future EU policy on child online safety, including how platforms are regulated under the Digital Services Act.

Prof Argyris Stringaris said:

“Whilst I am not at liberty to disclose any of the meeting’s content, I can say that the level of expertise and knowledge was remarkable and that the President of the European Commission listened to all involved. Obviously, child safety online is important, and views on how this is achieved in a fair, proportionate and effective way vary, as does the understanding of any causal links between social media and mental health outcomes. The global focus on mental health of young people means that gradually (although still too slow in my view) research efforts and a scientific evidence base are being built, in Europe and elsewhere. This will be important to achieve parity between investment in mental health and in other areas, such as paediatric cancer. As a note: depression and anxiety are leading causes of disability amongst young people, yet are much less researched than other areas. Initiatives such as this one by the European Commission emphasise the importance of rigorous science and evaluation to inform policy”