Children’s privacy and safety in the digital world are under the spotlight like never before, as countries around the globe wrestle with how best to protect young people from the perils of online life. Recent developments in Vietnam and Australia have brought the issue into sharp focus, revealing both the progress and the persistent challenges in safeguarding children’s personal data and online experiences.
In Vietnam, children are increasingly exposed to the internet at a young age, with 82% of those aged 12–13 and a staggering 93% of those aged 14–15 going online daily, according to official statistics cited by VNExpress. The digital world has become, in many ways, a second classroom—and, for some, a danger zone. The risks are not hypothetical: in 2023, more than 533,000 reports involving child sexual abuse content linked to Vietnam were submitted to the US National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC). While these numbers require careful analysis to interpret, the sheer volume signals a risk that cannot be ignored.
Children, as Vietnamese lawmakers and child advocates emphasize, are a special group requiring robust protection of their personal data. This includes not only obvious identifiers like facial images and birthdates, but also less apparent details—such as school names or health information—that, when combined, can map out a child’s entire life. As one commentator put it in VNExpress, “The digital scratch does not heal like a scratch on the skin.” The responsibility for protecting children’s privacy, the article argues, falls squarely on the shoulders of adults, who must think twice before clicking ‘share.’
Vietnam’s legal system has responded to these concerns with significant new measures. The Law on Children enshrines the right to privacy and the protection of personal and family secrets for minors, making clear that these are not just ethical suggestions but binding legal mandates. The country’s legal framework for personal data is also evolving rapidly. Decree 13/2023/ND-CP, for the first time, introduces a dedicated chapter on children’s data, requiring that any processing of data for children aged seven and older must have the consent of both the child and their parent or guardian. There is no longer any legal loophole for platforms, key opinion leaders, or even news organizations to bypass this requirement under the guise of “community interest.”
Looking ahead, the newly passed Law on Personal Data Protection will come into effect on January 1, 2026, expanding the scope of obligations to include foreign organizations processing the data of Vietnamese citizens. This, advocates hope, will provide children with an even stronger legal shield. The big question, however, is whether these laws will be enforced effectively. As recent scandals have shown, legal protections do not always prevent harm. Just over a month ago, Vietnamese social media erupted after images believed to have been taken secretly of two celebrities and their newborns were widely shared online, sparking heated debate and, ultimately, direct harm to the children involved. In another case, a video of a singer’s daughters was posted and edited, drawing a barrage of negative comments and forcing the mother to publicly call for the sharing to stop. As VNExpress noted, “Behind every frame is the fragile psyche of a child.”
Vietnam’s experience is far from unique. Around the world, regulators are tightening the screws on online platforms. In Europe, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) sets strict age limits for consent—typically 16, though some countries allow it to be as low as 13, provided parental consent is verified. Regulators have not hesitated to levy hefty fines for violations. TikTok, for example, was penalized by Ireland’s Data Protection Commission for making young users’ accounts public by default and mishandling children’s data. The UK has gone a step further with its Age Appropriate Design Code, which sets out 15 standards for platforms, including minimizing data collection, enabling safety settings by default, and providing contextual warnings in language children can understand. In the United States, the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) requires “verifiable parental consent” before collecting data from children under 13, putting the onus on businesses to ensure compliance.
From these international models, Vietnamese experts propose several core principles for anyone handling children’s data—be they journalists, platforms, influencers, or parents. First, privacy should be the default: if full, qualified consent is not in place, faces and identifying details should be hidden. Second, data disclosure must be minimized; only what is strictly necessary for the public good should be shared, omitting details like exact birth dates or school schedules. Third, platforms should be designed with children’s interests front and center, following the UK’s example by defaulting to safe settings and limiting features like location sharing and messaging from strangers. And finally, adults—from schools to event organizers to parents—must exercise discipline in what they share about children. As the VNExpress commentary warns, “A cute photo today could be a data drill tomorrow.”
Yet, even as Vietnam strengthens its legal and technical protections, Australia has taken a bold—and controversial—step further. On September 16, 2025, Australia’s Minister for Communications, Anika Wells, announced a world-first ban on children under 16 using social media platforms, with the measure set to take effect on December 10, 2025, as reported by Sydney Morning Herald. This sweeping move is designed to reduce online harm, and the government has published a detailed 55-page set of management guidelines holding platforms responsible for transparently deactivating or deleting underage accounts and preventing re-registration by minors.
“We will always support Australian families and keep Australian children safe,” Minister Wells declared at the announcement. She added, “We can’t control the ocean, but we can control the sharks, and today we want to make clear to the world how we intend to do this.” The guidelines do not require platforms to verify the age of every user or to store personal data from age checks. Instead, the government insists that platforms already possess enough information to determine users’ ages, citing the example that if someone has been on Facebook since 2009, their age is likely known.
Not everyone is convinced. Senator Sarah Hanson-Young of the Greens slammed the ban as “an absolute disaster,” arguing that harmful content will persist and that the government is merely hoping children “don’t jump into the water.” She warned, “We know these social media companies will continue to have harmful content on their platforms, will continue to target young people with ads.” Professor Lisa Given, an expert in human information behavior at RMIT University, echoed these concerns, saying, “I don’t think parents will see this as a safety blanket. In the end, children will still encounter harmful content online.” She pointed out that determined minors could simply find workarounds, whether by creating new accounts or using those of adults.
Enforcement will be strict, according to eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant, who cautioned that companies failing to comply could face fines of up to 50 million Australian dollars. “There may be some companies that do nothing just to test our resolve, and if that’s their plan, we will respond strongly,” she said. The Commissioner plans to meet with major tech firms in Silicon Valley to discuss the ban, while Minister Wells is set to bring Australia’s case to the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
The debate in Australia reflects broader global tensions: how to balance children’s rights to participate online with the imperative to protect them from harm. Both Vietnam and Australia are pushing the envelope—one through legal frameworks and technical standards, the other through outright prohibition. In both cases, the hope is that society can protect its youngest members without stifling their voices or opportunities. The challenge now is to ensure that these lofty ambitions translate into real-world safety for children navigating an increasingly complex digital landscape.