Portugal: Bill concerning the Protection of Children in Digital Environments (PL 398/XVII/1) including measures regarding enforcement was introduced to Parliament

On 2 February 2026, the Bill on the Protection of Children in Digital Environments (PL 398/XVII/1) was introduced in Parliament. It designates the National Communications Authority and the National Data Protection Commission as the authorities responsible for overseeing compliance, within their respective competencies. The National Communications Authority may adopt additional regulations and technical guidelines, including the National Technical Reference Framework for Age Verification, and may request independent audits from covered service providers. The competent authorities must coordinate with the Agency for Technological Reform of the State to ensure the secure and effective integration of the Chave Móvel Digital system, or another suitable system, into the age verification framework. Upon request by the National Communications Authority, service providers and platforms must submit, within 60 days, a report outlining compliance, risks to children, preventive measures, and results achieved. These reports are public unless confidentiality is duly justified and accepted. Non-compliance constitutes an administrative offence punishable by fines ranging from EUR 50’000 to EUR 2 million or up to 2% of annual worldwide turnover for large enterprises, from EUR 20’000 to EUR 1 million or up to 2% of turnover for small and medium-sized enterprises, and from EUR 10’ 000 to EUR 250’000 for natural persons. The Bill also requires regular public information and prevention campaigns on children’s safety, digital literacy, and data protection, and introduces a “Safe Platform for Children” certification seal, awarded for a limited and renewable period subject to audit. The National Communications Authority must review the implementation of the Bill one year after its entry into force and report to the Assembly of the Republic. Chave Móvel Digital is recognised as the baseline national mechanism for age verification and must ensure interoperability with the European digital identity wallet or a similar European system. The National Communications Authority is required to adopt the National Technical Reference Framework for Age Verification within 60 days of the law’s publication.