THE PROTECTION OF CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS IN THE DIGITAL ENVIRONMENT AND THE CHALLENGES OF THE AGE ALGORITHM

Abstract

The massive presence of children and adolescents in the digital environment raises complex legal challenges, especially regarding the restriction of access to inappropriate content. To mitigate these risks, age verification emerges as an essential tool. In Brazil, the protection of this demographic is grounded in the Federal Constitution, the Child and Adolescent Statute (ECA), and the Brazilian Civil Rights Framework for the Internet (Marco Civil da Internet). The General Data Protection Law (LGPD) reinforces this protection, requiring that data processing be guided by the best interests of the child. Recently, Law No. 15,211/2025 (Digital Statute of the Child and Adolescent) expanded the obligations of platforms, imposing the adoption of effective mechanisms for age verification and risk prevention. However, the effectiveness of this requirement encounters a technical-legal paradox: while mere self-declaration is easily bypassed, rigorous methods, such as the submission of identity documents, demand the excessive collection of sensitive data, threatening users' privacy. In this scenario, the National Data Protection Authority (ANPD) assumes a central role in guiding and overseeing these practices. The present work aims to analyze the legal challenges in the online protection of children and youth, focusing on age verification methods. The research seeks to establish means to balance the security required by the Digital ECA and the privacy guaranteed by the LGPD, without violating the principle of data minimization.