Better Internet for Kids

Here, we take an in-depth look at the latest monitoring information for Croatia.

Issues of children's online protection, digital empowerment, and digital participation considered an important and emerging policy priority in Croatia, partially addressed in national laws and policies, and implemented through the work of the Safer Internet Centre and the Media Literacy Days project, which is managed by the Agency for Electronic Media and UNICEF. A National Programme for Children in the Digital Environment 2024-2026 has been created but not yet adopted.

BIK policies

Policy design asks whether evidence and research support BIK-related policies and whether systems are in place for monitoring and evaluating those policies.

Policy frameworks

Policy frameworks describe the overarching approach for a better internet, and establish the underlying goals, principles and guidelines that shape individual policies within this area.

In Croatia:

• This topic is being comprehensively addressed with children’s online protection, digital empowerment and digital participation incorporated into national/regional laws, regulations and policies.
• There are separate, dedicated policies that address children and the digital environment (protection, empowerment, and participation).
• The BIK+ strategy has no influence on national policies.

• National/regional policies and policy documents explicitly recognise children's rights in the digital environment.

Read the full Policy monitor country profile for detailed information on key national policy frameworks in Croatia.

Read the full 2025 edition of the Policy monitor report.

Policy design

Policy design asks whether evidence and research support BIK-related policies and whether systems are in place for monitoring and evaluating those policies.

• There is no data collection on children’s digital activity at the country level.
• Surveys of children’s experiences of risks, harms and digital well-being are undertaken onan ad-hoc and irregular basis.
• There is no system in place at the government level to gather information on children and the digital environment.
• There is no funding available for research on children and the digital environment.
• There is no systematic monitoring or evaluation of policies on children and the digital environment. 

Read the full Policy monitor country profile for detailed information on recent national research studies in Croatia.

Read the full 2025 edition of the Policy monitor report.

Policy governance

Policy governance examines how policies are coordinated at the governmental level, whether other implementation bodies are involved in their delivery, and whether structured mechanisms are available to guide their implementation. 

• There is no specific leadership in policy development on this topic at the national level.
• There is no coordination mechanism in place: policies, guidelines and programmes relating to children and the digital environment tend to be implemented independently of one another.
• At present, there is no action plan available or under development.

Read the full Policy monitor country profile for detailed information on key policy governance mechanisms in Croatia.

Read the full 2025 edition of the Policy monitor report.

Stakeholder involvement

Stakeholder involvement enquires how different stakeholders can participate in policy development. Children’s involvement in policy-making is one such key issue. Additionally, international knowledge exchange about children's digital participation is also relevant to this topic.

• There are occasional opportunities for different stakeholders to participate in policy development, but this is infrequent.
• There is no public consultation available on BIK topics.
• Children are listened to directly in the policy development process (e.g., through hearings, consultations, specific surveys) but are not formally involved in decision-making.

Read the full Policy monitor country profile for detailed information on crucial stakeholder involvement mechanisms in Croatia.

Read the full 2025 edition of the Policy monitor report.

BIK+ actions

Pillar 1 – safe digital experiences

Safe digital experiences refer to actions taken to protect children from harmful and illegal online content, conduct, contact, and risks as young consumers and to improve their well-being online through a safe, age-appropriate digital environment created in a way that respects children’s best interests.

Implementing EU laws

• The Croatian Implementation Act, among other provisions, designates the Croatian Regulatory Authority for Network Industries (HAKOM) as the Digital Services Coordinator. Furthermore, the Implementation Act outlines the coordination among Croatian regulatory bodies for the enforcement and supervision of the Digital Services Act (DSA).

Harmful online content

• The definition of ‘harmful online content’ does not exist as a definition in Croatian laws. However, the essence of harmful online content is contained in various country-level laws and regulations, which may penalise wrongdoing.
• The online reporting mechanism for child abuse, Red Button, is an official police application and website that allows the reporting of any form of abuse or inappropriate content online ("If you see inappropriate content or abuse of another person, report it immediately").
• The Safer Internet Centre (SIC) Croatia Online operates a hotline for reporting child abuse material and other illegal content.
• CARNET has the service of a content filtering system that disables the display of certain categories of websites on some or all computers in a CARNET member institution. Each page on the Internet is categorised with respect to its content, and traffic is filtered by choosing categories that are not to be displayed. Pages are continually categorised, and new database versions are automatically checked every few hours. At the request of CARNET users, specific pages can also be manually approved or prohibited. Based on the Ministry of Science and Education Decision, all primary and high schools in Croatia connected to the CARNET network are automatically included in the filtering system.

Harmful online conduct

• National/regional laws, regulations or policies in place to protect children and young people from intimate image abuse are covered under the Criminal Code, Article 144a "Misuse of a recording of sexually explicit content" (Chapter Fourteen (XIV) - Criminal offences against privacy). The Criminal Code, Chapter Seventeen (XVII.) – separately defines the criminal acts of sexual abuse and exploitation of children, which also include the aforementioned forms of sharing or misuse of intimate photos of children.
• Regarding cyberbullying, the new Protocol on Action in Cases of Violence among Children and Youth more clearly defines cyberbullying as well as its forms, i.e. methods and the importance of reporting cyberbullying even if it occurred outside of school and during class time. This is a major step forward, as the previous version of the Protocol was in effect for 20 years.
• The SIC Croatia has developed guidelines for handling cases of electronic violence, noting that this is not a public policy measure but rather a manual developed by an NGO to support educational staff. The SIC has had positive experiences with the removal of inappropriate content on TikTok, based on reports submitted through the Helpline and Hotline. During 2024, the SIC became a TikTok Approved Partner with access to the TikTok Safety Enforcement Tool, which further improves cooperation in protecting children from harmful digital content.
• In addition to the Criminal Code, the Centre for Missing and Exploited Children has been working on the translation of the TakeItDown platform created by The National Centre for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) with the support of Meta, which will soon be available in Croatian and implemented on the Centre's website.

Age verification

• Currently, there are no legal regulations that include age verification mechanisms. Internet service providers, as standard on their sites and services, ask for confirmation of the user's age.
• According to the law on Identity Cards, "All Croatian citizens have the right to a Croatian electronic identity card, regardless of their age and regardless of whether or not they have a residence in the Republic of Croatia." The AAI @EduHr system is an authentication and authorisation system of science and higher education in the Republic of Croatia in which every member of the academic and research community in the Republic of Croatia receives his AAI @EduHr electronic identity, i.e., user tag and password, so students of primary and secondary schools and students of higher education institutions.

Mental health and well-being

• The National Youth Programme for the period 2023 to 2025; Digital Croatia Strategy for the period until 2032; Strategic Framework for the Development of Mental Health until 2030 are among national measures which address this topic.

Pillar 2 – digital empowerment

Digital empowerment incorporates actions so that all children, including those in vulnerable situations, acquire the necessary skills and competences to make sound choices and express themselves in the online environment safely and responsibly.

Supports for online safety education

• The National Curriculum for Primary Education states that learning materials and resources should include real-life situations and content, and recommends the use of current information sources such as the Internet, suggests organising distance learning through available online courses, and emphasises information and digital literacy in the forms of work and the use of tools.
• The National Curriculum for Gymnasium and Vocational Education highlights digital literacy as a key competency in education. The National Curriculum for Art Education emphasises digital and information literacy as essential tools for artistic practice, facilitating access to modern knowledge and enhancing the learning process. It also states that the learning environment in art education encompasses both physical and digital spaces, underscoring the importance of equipping art schools with technology such as smart boards, computers, projectors, and audio devices.
• In Croatia, no single national or regional strategy systematically regulates policies related to internet safety in schools, including expected online behaviour, use of smartphones, or handling of cyberbullying.
• Individual schools can independently decide to ban the use of mobile phones within school premises. However, the legislation does not prescribe a general ban on social networks or the use of mobile phones in schools. Still, such decisions depend on the regulations of individual educational institutions (e.g. as part of the School House Rules).
• The SIC also conducts workshops for parents and experts on internet safety in kindergartens, primary and secondary schools, and at interested faculties in the Republic of Croatia. The SIC introduces parents and experts to the work of the Centre for Missing and Abused Children and the SIC, talks to parents about their rules with children regarding the use of the internet and screens in general, and introduces them to the most important topics and concepts in the online world through discussion. 

Digital literacy skills to empower young people 

• The BrAIn project is developing a curriculum for seventh and eighth graders in primary school and second and third graders in secondary school. The curriculum will include extracurricular activities and an optional course focused on enhancing students' digital competencies, particularly in emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence. The activities will involve critical reflection on the impact of emerging technologies and practical application in digital programs and applications, with a focus on cyber security and ethical considerations.
• CARNET’s e-universities project develops digital competencies for implementing hybrid teaching and digital technologies in higher education. The project will create educational content such as e-courses, videos, webinars, and lectures for use in educational activities at higher education institutions.
• The Centre for Missing and Abused Children is implementing the Verfieye project, which strengthens society's resilience to disinformation. A new system has been established to verify the accuracy of information in the sphere of interest of young people. 

Pillar 3 – active participation, respecting children’s rights

Active participation, respecting children’s rights, refers to actions which give children and young people a say in the digital environment, with more child-led activities to foster innovative and creative safe digital experiences.

Active participation

• The Network of Young Advisers of the Ombudsperson for Children (MMS) is a constant advisory and cooperation body that brings together children and young people from all over Croatia. MMS consists of 25 members, children and young people aged twelve to 18 years.
• The Centre for a Safer Internet conducts Youth Councils, which include young people from 8 half-day sessions, members of vulnerable groups, together with volunteers. This group forms the Youth panel, through which young people actively participate in discussions about digital security, children's rights on the Internet and advocating for a safer digital environment.
• Within the Centre for a Safer Internet, a ‘Youth for Youth’ section has been developed on the Sini.hr website, which allows young people to share their experiences and promote the safe use of digital technologies. The Youth Panel previously created a digital manual that dealt with the terms of use of Snapchat. It is also planned to transfer the management of part of the social networks to the Youth Panel, which is intended to further strengthen their role in advocating for a safer digital environment and to make child-friendly versions of documents relevant to protection in the field of digital safety more accessible to this population. 

Supporting children's rights

• As part of its activities, the Ombudsperson for Children raises awareness about and promotes children's rights in the digital environment among children, educators and other professionals who take care of children in the media through various professional gatherings, round tables and meetings with children and experts. Each year, Safer Internet Day is celebrated by a large number of children, educators, and other important stakeholders promoting children's rights in the digital environment.

Digital inclusion

• The School of Responsible Influence is a digital platform that the SIC developed in cooperation with its strategic partner A1 Croatia. The goal of this online School is to make influencers and content creators aware of the importance of responsible behaviour in the online world, raise awareness of the importance of recognising and reporting inappropriate content on the Internet as well as how to report it, and recognise the importance of creating positive online content and creating a positive impact. It is intended for influencers and content creators who are followed by the population of children and youth, but also for all those who are willing to hear and learn something new and be part of the change and #responsibleinfluence.
• The Safer Internet Centre Youth Panel is made up of young people from half-day stays, members of vulnerable groups, together with volunteers. Through the Youth Panel, young people actively participate in discussions about digital safety, children's rights on the internet, and advocating for a safer digital environment.

Read the full Policy monitor country profile for some best practice examples from Croatia.

Read the full 2025 edition of the Policy monitor report.

BIK+ index 2025: Croatia

The BIK+ index has been developed to provide an aggregated at-a-glance overview of the levels of implementation across the two dimensions, BIK policies and BIK+ actions, in Croatia compared to the EU27+2 average. Values are shown in per cent.

Please note, the data used in this page and the corresponding country profile was collected in February 2025.