"Brazil Passes Landmark Law to Protect Children Online", 17 September 2025​

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Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on September 17, 2025, signed the country’s first law to protect children’s rights online…

The law, called the ECA Digital after its Portuguese initials, is intended to update the country’s 1990 Statute of the Child and Adolescent to protect children’s rights in the digital environment. Technology companies with services likely to be used by children would be compelled to design products with young users’ best interests in mind and provide them with the highest levels of privacy and safety by default…

The new law expands upon the protections for children provided by Brazil’s General Personal Data Protection Law, which are insufficient.

…One provision prohibits online services from using children’s personal data in ways that “cause, facilitate, or contribute to the violation of their privacy or any other rights guaranteed to them by law … and the[ir] best interests.”…

Another safeguard in the law bans online services from profiling children to target them with behavioral advertising, which entails tracking a child’s online behavior to predict their characteristics and influence their behaviors and interests…

Passage of this law reflects strong political will to protect children’s rights online…

The ECA Digital is set to take effect in March 2026 and will be enforced by Brazil's data protection authority. Companies that do not comply could face fines up to 50 million Brazilian reais (US$9.44 million), or up to 10 percent of the revenue they earn in Brazil. They may also face a suspension or a ban, depending on the severity of the violation…