19 de setembro de 2025
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Brazilian Digital ECA Law Enacted: Technology Companies Must Comply with Rules to Protect Minors Online
On September 17, 2025, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva enacted Law No. 15,211, known as the Digital ECA Law, in reference to the Brazilian Statute of the Child and Adolescent, which establishes guidelines for the protection of children and adolescents in digital environments. The law applies to information technology products and services intended for, or likely to be accessed by, this audience, with the aim of ensuring their safety, privacy, and healthy development. Decree No. 12,622/2025 regulates the law, designating the National Data Protection Authority (ANPD) as the authority responsible for safeguarding the rights of children and adolescents in digital settings. The law establishes mechanisms for parental oversight, assigns legal responsibilities to technology providers, institutes administrative supervision, and provides for graduated sanctions in cases of noncompliance.
The normative text categorizes providers of technology products and services, including applications, social networks, games, and other tools connected to the Internet or communication networks, that are directed to or accessible by children and adolescents. Providers must implement measures to manage risks, assess the suitability of content for specific age groups, block access to illegal or sexualized materials, and configure systems to prevent excessive use of platforms. Among the requirements, emphasis is placed on preventing exposure to content related to gambling, betting, alcoholic beverages, and products prohibited for minors, as well as limiting recommendations of such materials.
Furthermore, the law requires the adoption of reliable mechanisms for age verification, prohibiting self-declaration, and establishes the joint liability of all agents in the digital chain for complying with these measures. Data collected for the age verification of children and adolescents may be used solely for this purpose, and their processing for any other objective is prohibited. Targeted advertising directed at children and adolescents based on profiling techniques or emotional analysis is forbidden, as is the monetization of sexual content involving minors.
Providers are also obliged to remove content related to exploitation, kidnapping, or sexual abuse, immediately notifying the competent authorities. For providers with more than one million minor users, the law requires the publication of semiannual reports detailing complaints, moderation activities, account identification, and protective measures, guaranteeing the right to challenge decisions and preventing abuse of the reporting mechanisms.
Supervision shall be the responsibility of the ANPD, pursuant to Decree No. 12,622/2025, and the competent administrative authorities or the Judiciary may impose sanctions ranging from warnings to fines, suspension, or prohibition of activities, taking into account the severity of the infringement, recurrence, and the economic capacity of the infringer.
Through Provisional Measure No. 1,319/2025, the President anticipated the law’s entry into force, reducing the originally planned period from one year to six months after its publication. On the same day, Provisional Measure No. 1,317/2025 was enacted, transforming the ANPD into an autonomous regulatory agency, granting it functional, technical, decisional, administrative, and financial autonomy, thereby strengthening its capacity for supervision and enforcement of the Digital ECA. It is important to note that, although these measures take immediate effect, both depend on approval by the National Congress for full consolidation.
The law 15.2011/2025 and the decree 12.622/2025 can be accessed at the following links: lLaw No. 15,211, of September 17, 2025, Decree No. 12.622/2025, of September 17, 2025
Note: For quick release, this English version is provided by automated translation without human review.
