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Europe is asking tough questions, and the world’s biggest tech companies now have to answer.
This week, the European Union called on Apple, Google, YouTube and Snapchat to prove they are protecting children online. It’s a defining test of the Digital Services Act (DSA), the law that is reshaping how the internet works across Europe.
The call came from EU Tech Commissioner Henna Virkkunen, who confirmed that formal Requests for Information (RFIs) have been sent to each platform. They must now provide detailed proof of how they keep minors safe from harmful content and data misuse.
Virkkunen said:
“These measures are about accountability. When minors use online services, a very high level of privacy, security and safety must be ensured. That’s why we have the Digital Services Act in place.”
Her words echoed a growing mood in Europe, a shift from guidance to enforcement.
In Copenhagen, where EU ministers are meeting to sign the Jutland Declaration, the timing feels symbolic. Europe is moving together to create a digital space that values safety as much as innovation.
A new phase for Europe’s internet rules
The DSA is no longer theory, it’s action.
At the centre of this push lies Article 28, which demands that platforms design their services with privacy and safety as the default setting. It bans targeted advertising for under-18s and requires stronger controls to keep children away from adult or harmful material.
The rules reach beyond pornography or violence. They touch on gambling, extremist content, body image, and any algorithm that can shape how young people see the world. Advertisers, too, must take responsibility for where their messages appear.
In practice, this means gambling content and advertising are treated as high-risk categories under the same protective standards as other adult-oriented industries. Under the DSA, operators and affiliates promoting betting or casino products online must ensure that no marketing reaches minors, and that age-verification systems meet strict EU compliance requirements.
For the iGaming sector, this marks a wider shift. Compliance with digital-safety laws is no longer a national matter, it’s now part of a Europe-wide framework aimed at accountability and protection.
The goal is to make the digital environment child-safe by design.
Across the continent, national governments are adding their own layers. The UK’s Online Safety Act, France’s parental-consent law for under-15s, and Germany’s NetzDG model all move in the same direction. Each country takes its own route, but the destination is shared, safer online spaces built around responsibility and trust.
US tech firms under pressure
The world’s largest technology companies are watching Europe closely.
To them, the DSA represents a challenge. The law reshapes long-standing rules about data, content, and platform responsibility. Executives at Apple, Google, Microsoft and Snapchat say that meeting every new condition takes time, money, and a deep change in how platforms are built.
Some also worry that global companies will have to adjust their systems market by market, navigating dozens of national interpretations of one European law.
Yet, for the EU, this is the point. The DSA is designed to remind platforms that digital rights belong to citizens, not corporations.
As trade discussions between Washington and Brussels continue, the Digital Services Act has become a symbol of a larger debate, one about who shapes the values of the global internet.
Europe’s message: accountability comes first
Europe’s position is firm and the internet must protect people before it profits.
Commission President Ursula von der Leyen framed it clearly when presenting the Declaration on Digital Rights and Principles:
“The rights put forward in our declaration are guaranteed for everybody in the EU, online as they are offline. And the digital principles enshrined in the declaration will guide us in our work on all new initiatives.”
Brussels recognises that national systems vary, but insists that supervision is getting stronger. More investigations are on the way as the Commission expands its digital oversight teams.
For now, no fines have been issued. But the EU has made it clear that if Apple, Google, YouTube or Snapchat fail to show real safeguards for children, formal investigations could follow.
A turning point for digital responsibility
This moment could redefine how Europe and the US cooperate on technology.
Beyond Big Tech, these reforms ripple across other regulated industries, including iGaming. As platforms adapt to stricter content rules, gambling operators advertising on YouTube, Snapchat, and Google must update their targeting practices and disclosures. The DSA has set a new compliance benchmark for how gambling promotions appear across digital environments.
If these four companies show transparency and compliance, it could strengthen trust between governments and platforms. If they fail, the DSA could become the start of a deeper divide between two digital philosophies, one driven by freedom, the other by responsibility.
For Europe, the mission is to build an internet where young users are safe, informed, and respected. The next few months will show whether the world’s biggest platforms can live up to that standard.
And the question now echoing through Brussels, can global tech adapt fast enough to meet Europe’s vision of a safer digital world?
Source: iGaming Expert
