Latest news and stories about child safety in Portugal for expats and residents.
A provisional European Union regime that allowed digital platforms to voluntarily detect and report child sexual abuse content expired this Friday. The lapse follows a failure by the European Parliament and the Council of the EU to reach an agreement on a permanent legislative framework, effectively ending the temporary bypass of electronic communication privacy rules.
The PSD will submit a bill proposing age verification at social media account creation to enforce a ban on under-13s and restrict access for under-16s. The measure, described as sensible and largely inevitable in an editorial, aims to protect children and reduce pressures such as the pursuit of likes, though it raises practical enforcement and privacy concerns about verification methods.
Greece wants to help parents who are fighting “alone against algorithms designed to keep children glued to their phones”. Several countries are implementing or considering age limits for social media access, and the European Union advocates a minimum age of 16 for independent access.
Victoria Seguros and the Association for the Promotion of Child Safety (APSI) will develop educational content and awareness campaigns to help families identify everyday risks and prevent accidents involving children. The partnership also includes the strengthening of the 'Turma da Vicky' digital platform, created by the insurer, which will now feature...
Networks use online games to lure minors into violent acts against themselves, others, and animals. There are videos featuring these acts.
Former employees accuse the director of forcing children to eat even after they vomited, hitting them, and administering sleeping drops intended only for adults. A neighbour called the police after hearing “persistent crying and pleas” from minors. The head of the school denies the abuse.
Although there have been tragic cases of children left in vehicles, Portuguese law does not currently require the installation of safety systems designed to prevent child abandonment.
The Minister of Education has already requested an “urgent and immediate” analysis of all cases involving invalid criminal records.
The European Law for the Protection of Children Online establishes a gradual approach to minors' access to digital services.
The European Commission wants to ban the use of social media for children under 13, while teenagers between 13 and 15 will have 'mini-accounts' created by parents or guardians, with limited features and subject to a maximum of one hour of screen time per day. The proposal, titled 'EU ...
The European Union is preparing to ban social media for children under 13, with additional restrictions for those up to 18. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced the initiative during her State of the Union address, citing concerns over extreme content, AI-generated sexualised imagery, and the impact on mental health. The proposal includes supervised accounts for 13 and 14-year-olds, with daily screen time limits, and mandatory safety-by-design requirements for platforms regarding users aged 15 to 18.
The 'EU Kids Act' proposal prevents children under 15 from creating accounts on social media and video-sharing platforms (such as YouTube) without parental consent.
“We do not have to accept childhoods shaped by algorithms. We do not have to accept a system that fails our children. Europe has the power to act, to give children the time they need in the real world,” argued Ursula von der Leyen this Thursday in a social media post.
UNICEF Portugal cautions that restricting access to social media platforms for children and teenagers is not an effective solution to address online abuse.
The director of Unicef Portugal argued today that banning minors from accessing social media, a measure imposed in several countries and currently under discussion in Portugal, does not solve the growing number of online sexual abuses.
Last year, more than 20 million children across 21 countries were victims of online sexual abuse.
The accidents involved minors between zero and four years old and occurred in various locations across the country.
Let us hope that this awareness and safety culture are present in our organisations, small or large, because human beings will continue to make mistakes.
The law restricting free access to social media and other platforms for children up to 16 years old should be ready 'in September, or at the latest, in October', reports the newspaper Expresso, after hearing from the PSD and the PS regarding the ongoing committee discussions. One of the new developments in relation to...
The death of a baby left in a kindergarten van in Almada is a tragedy that confronts us with the reality that human error can have irreversible consequences. While public debate often focuses on emotion and blame, it is crucial to reflect on the institutional responsibility to prevent such incidents. Safety cannot rely solely on individual attention or good intentions; it must be built on clear, mandatory, and systematically enforced procedures. By acknowledging that human fallibility is inevitable due to factors like stress and fatigue, institutions must adopt risk-prevention cultures—similar to those in aviation or healthcare—using checklists, double-verification systems, and technology. Ultimately, child safety must be an absolute organizational priority, ensuring that robust protective barriers are in place to prevent individual errors from leading to devastating outcomes.
Following the tragic death of a two-year-old baby left in a car in Almada this week, the automotive and tech industries are highlighting solutions to prevent such incidents. These include mobile apps that act as reminders, pressure-sensitive car seat sensors, and integrated vehicle systems like Rear Occupant Alert (ROA) that use radar or ultrasonic sensors to detect movement or breathing, alerting drivers or emergency contacts if a child is left behind.
Social Security concluded that everything was in order at the nursery attended by the baby who died in Almada.
From automotive technology to mobile applications and nursery protocols, experts advocate for a joint approach following the death of an 18-month-old baby in Almada.
The Social Security Institute (ISS) confirmed this Friday, July 24, that the 'Mestre Cuco' nursery in Almada, in whose vehicle an 18-month-old baby died, met all operational criteria, referring the investigation to judicial authorities. In response to the Lusa agency, the ISS stated that it is a licensed private establishment with authorization for 54 children, which underwent an unannounced technical follow-up visit on September 30, 2025. During that visit, all aspects of the nursery's operation and organization were analyzed, such as facility conditions, staff and their technical training, safety procedures, nutrition, room organization, and individual child files. According to Social Security, the nursery was operating regularly, providing children with facilities and services that meet all their needs, namely pedagogical, recreational, and emotional. The situation is being investigated by the competent judicial authorities. The 18-month-old baby died on Thursday in Almada after being left forgotten for about seven hours inside a vehicle serving the 'Mestre Cuco' school. The alarm was only raised when the mother was preparing to take the girl home and was informed at that time that her daughter had not arrived at the nursery. The girl was found shortly after, already unresponsive, inside the vehicle where she had remained for about seven hours. Resuscitation efforts were unsuccessful, and death was declared at the scene. The circumstances of the death are being investigated by the Judicial Police.
The goal is to raise awareness among consumers and families about the importance of choosing appropriate products, especially for children, using them correctly, and understanding the differences between flotation aids and water toys.
The European Commission has issued preliminary findings stating that TikTok fails to meet the safety standards required by the Digital Services Act, citing risks of cyberbullying, unwanted contact from potential criminals, and the exposure of minors' personal information to strangers, even on private accounts. The report highlights concerns regarding the platform's default settings and the potential for predatory behaviour, noting documented cases of harm to young users globally. TikTok, owned by ByteDance, faces increasing regulatory scrutiny worldwide over its impact on child safety and privacy.
A child has died, but the questions that remain go far beyond the criminal investigation. How was it possible that no one noticed the girl's absence? What mechanisms failed? And what must change so that such a tragedy never happens again? Experts interviewed by CNN Portugal analyse the case.
Progressive access by age group, age verification by platforms, and screens only with adults for children under 13. Brussels is moving forward with legislation in the autumn.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen presented a report on online child safety in Brussels this Monday. Based on this document, the Commission will present a proposal after the summer to limit minors' access to social media.
BRUXELLES — L’Union européenne va fixer un âge minimum à partir duquel les jeunes internautes pourront accéder aux réseaux sociaux sans la surveillance de leurs parents, a annoncé ce lundi 13 juillet la présidente de la Commission. Ursula von der Leyen présentait ce matin les conclusions du groupe d’experts qu’elle avait chargé, l’an dernier, de ...
A report presented by the President of the European Commission advocates that screen access for children up to 13 years old should only be permitted under adult supervision. From that age onwards, access should be gradually expanded.
