• Brazil’s lower house passes a new child online safety bill.
• Platforms must carry out mandatory age verification.
• Under-16s require parent-linked accounts.
• Law mirrors moves in the UK and EU.
• Bill now awaits upper house approval.

Summary:
Brazil has become the latest nation to push for stricter oversight of children’s online lives. Its lower house of Congress has approved a bill requiring social media platforms to verify users’ ages and ensure that children under 16 are linked to a parent or guardian account.

The legislation reflects growing international concern over underage use of platforms designed for adults. Similar to proposals in the EU and the UK, the Brazilian bill aims to force companies to act more proactively in safeguarding children from harmful content and online grooming.

If signed into law, Brazil will join a growing list of countries mandating technical enforcement of age checks—an area where critics argue self-regulation has long failed. For parents, the law could offer stronger backing when setting boundaries around children’s online access.

Source: NDTV World