High-level roundtable on regulatory co-operation for safer childhoods online

The roundtable will examine emerging legislative approaches to mitigating online risks to children, and to explore how privacy and online safety regulators co-operate to implement these measures. 

The discussions will highlight both the achievements and the ongoing challenges of cross-regulatory co-operation, identifying priority areas where deeper, more strategic collaboration can strengthen efforts to protect and empower children online. 

Using age-assurance measures as a central case study, participants will explore how data protection and online safety authorities have leveraged their respective mandates to shape and oversee new requirements – whether for age checks on social media or for preventing children’s access to online pornography. This session will reflect on the challenges encountered, the role of privacy-preserving  technologies (PETs), the opportunities these joint efforts create, and other regulatory issues on the horizon. It will also consider how lessons learned from implementing age-assurance systems can inform future cross-regulatory initiatives. 

The day will close on a forward-looking roadmap for strengthened co-operation across regulatory domains and borders. It will underscore how the OECD can help drive this effort by providing a trusted platform for dialogue, comparative evidence and shared standards – supporting regulators in building  durable partnerships that advance a safer digital environment for children. 

9:00-9:30. Welcome coffee

9:30-9:40. Welcome and opening remarks

• Mr. Frantisek Ruzicka, Deputy Secretary-General, OECD 
• Ms. Marie-Laure Denis, President, Commission Nationale de l’Informatique et des Libertés, France

• Ms. Anne Le Hénanff, Minister Delegate for Artificial Intelligence and Digital Affairs, France (TBC)

Around the world, governments and regulators are stepping up their actions and adapting their policy response to protect children in the digital environment. While their mandates and priorities may differ – shaped by local contexts, legal frameworks and varying national approaches – they share a common recognition: children’s online safety is a critical public policy issue that demands co-ordinated attention.  

International co-operation is necessary for governments, privacy and online safety regulators to promote a safer, beneficial digital environment for children everywhere.

In this session, speakers will discuss measures to address the risks children face in today’s digital environment. They will share perspectives from their work promoting children’s learning and development. Topics will include interactions with AI-powered chatbots, the changing nature of social media platforms, and the growing public concern about how these platforms expose young users to harm.  

Moderator: 

• Prof. Elena Martellozzo, Director of Childlight’s European Hub, Global Child Safety Institute  

High-level speakers: 

• Ms. Beatriz de Anchorena, Chairwoman, Agency for Access to Public Information, Argentina 
• Mr. Martin Ajdari, Chairman, Regulatory Authority for Audiovisual and Digital Communication, France 
• Mr. Mark Meador, Commissioner, Federal Trade Commission, United States

• Ms. Lene Vågslid, Minister of Children and Families, Norway

This session will explore the critical role of co-operation between data protection and online safety regulators through the lens of age assurance systems.  

It will examine how joint efforts can help address complex technological challenges - such as rapidly evolving verification tools, privacy-preserving technologies, and questions around accuracy, proportionality, and interoperability. The discussion will also confront the controversies that arise when balancing child protection with privacy, fundamental rights and societal expectations.  

Speakers will also more broadly reflect on practical approaches to making regulatory decisions in fast-moving technological environments, where emerging risks, new platforms, and evolving business models often outpace regulatory cycles. In this context, policymakers and regulators must proactively address the risk of legal fragmentation across frameworks and borders - for instance different age thresholds, conflicting definitions of “harmful content”, and the lack of explicit regulatory positioning on core issues such as PETs solutions - to ensure global effectiveness of online safety protections.  

Moderator: 

• Ms. Marija Manojlovic, Executive Director, Safe Online (TBC) 

High-level speakers:  

• Mr. Andreas Hartl, Federal Deputy Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information, Germany  
• Mr. Oliver Griffiths, Executive Board Member & Group Director, Online Safety,  Ofcom, United Kingdom 
• Mr. Joe Savage, Vice President, LEGO Foundation 
• Mr. Olivier Blazy, Scientific Director, CIEDS, Paris Polytechnique Institute, France 

Building on the insights of the preceding sessions, the final session will outline a forward-looking roadmap for stronger co-operation across regulatory domains and borders. It will highlight how regulatory networks and the OECD can support this work by providing trusted platforms, comparative evidence, and tools such as the OECD Repository of Global PETs Use Cases and shared standards to help build lasting partnerships that enhance children’s online safety. 

Moderator: 

• Mr. Bertrand du Marais, Commissioner, CNIL, France 

High-level speakers: 

• Mr. Philippe Dufresne, Federal Privacy Commissioner, Canada, Chair of the Global Privacy Assembly 
• Ms. Sarah Rogers, Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy, United States (TBC) 
• Ms. Arda Gerkens, Chair of the Board of the Authority for Online Terrorist and Child Sexual Abuse Material (ATKM), Netherlands

• Mr. Jerry Sheehan, Director, Directorate for Science, Technology and Innovation, OECD