Articles | Postado no dia: 11 September, 2026
Is Your Company Ready to Handle Children’s and Teenagers’ Data After the ECA Digital?
The ECA Digital (Brazil’s Digital Child and Adolescent Statute) opens a new chapter for personal data protection in Brazil, reinforcing the priority that the General Data Protection Law (LGPD) had already placed on children’s and teenagers’ privacy. And the message is direct: companies’ responsibility goes well beyond social media.
Companies in education, health, technology, entertainment, and digital services need to build protective measures into their products and internal processes from the design stage. When that’s not possible, they need to adopt effective mechanisms to keep minors from accessing risky environments. The logic now is preventive, acting before a problem happens, rather than after.
Brazil’s National Data Protection Authority (ANPD) has already been prioritizing this issue. Around 60% of ongoing investigations involve the processing of children’s and teenagers’ data. Recent cases involving major platforms, along with the new Technology Radar, which will address age-verification mechanisms, reflect growing attention to this topic.
Given this, companies that handle minors’ data need to carefully review their data flows and internal policies. Getting compliant involves:
- Reviewing how parental or guardian consent is collected and recorded, ensuring it’s authentic and traceable;
- Checking whether age-verification mechanisms are reliable and proportional to the risk of the activity;
- Preparing specific Data Protection Impact Assessments focused on the risks of processing children’s and teenagers’ data;
- Implementing clear consent terms and notices, written in accessible language appropriate for the age group;
- and strengthening security measures and purpose limitation for sensitive and behavioral data.
These steps go beyond simply complying with the law, they’re part of a culture of responsible data governance that builds trust with parents, users, and investors.
The ECA Digital sends a clear signal: aligning with the LGPD is no longer something to plan for later, it’s a regulatory urgency now.
Author: Yasmin Soares.
