Italy: Adopted Decree-law n.123 on safety of minors in the digital environment including parental control applications in electronic communication devices

On 15 September 2023, the Decree-law n.123 on safety of minors in the digital environment, including parental control applications in electronic communication devices, was adopted by the Italian government. The decree requires manufacturers to ensure that the operating systems of electronic devices allow the use and availability of applications for parental controls. It also mandates electronic communication service providers to ensure the availability of these applications within the scope of supply contracts. Furthermore, the decree requires device manufacturers to inform users about the importance of installing these applications and to provide the activation service without any additional cost. Finally, the decree prohibits the use of personal data collected during the activation of the applications for commercial purposes or profiling. The Authority for Communications Guarantees (AGCOM) will supervise the correct application of this decree. The manufacturers must ensure that devices support parental control applications within one year of the decree's entry into force and inform users about parental control applications within nine months of the decree's entry into force. Electronic service providers must inform customers about parental control application availability within 30 days of the decree's entry into force.