Better Internet for Kids

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

On 17 December 2024, Hungary’s Parliament adopted the Act LXXVIII of 2024 on the Suppression of Internet Aggression, which aims to curb online aggression. The Act entered into force on the 1st of January 2025 and amended existing legislation in a number of areas, introducing new obligations and procedural rules. The provision was added to Act C of 2012 on the Criminal Code to criminalise aggression on the Internet. Under the new legislation, it is a criminal offence to publicly publish content on an electronic communications network that incites violent acts. The new rules aim to make the online space safer and reduce incitement to hatred and violence. While the regulation imposes new burdens on publishers and operators of online media products, these steps are essential to ensure responsible online communication.  

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 Hungary:

• This topic is 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 which address the topic of children and the digital environment (protection, empowerment, and participation).
• The BIK+ strategy informs national policies but is not the main influence.
• 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 Hungary.

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 a regular (e.g., annual or bi-annual) nationally representative survey specifically focused on children’s digital activity, which informs national policies on this topic.
• Surveys include measures of children’s experiences of risks, harms and digital well-being.
• Information is regularly gathered to inform policies on children and the digital environment. However, this relies primarily on third-party sources, and there are limited opportunities to commission new data on children's digital activity.
• Regarding research funding, there are occasional special initiatives to gather evidence about children and the digital environment.
• There is no monitoring or evaluation of national policies on children and the digital environment at this point.

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

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.

• The lead ministry, public agency or regulatory authority is an informal arrangement depending on the requirements at a particular point in time.
• A clearly defined coordination function is in place, involving all relevant stakeholders and encompassing the cross-cutting policy issues relating to children and the digital environment.
• There is a defined national action plan on children and the digital environment with accountabilities such as defined timelines, assigned responsibilities or key performance indicators (KPIs).

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

Stakeholder involvement

Stakeholder involvement enquires about how different stakeholders can participate in the policy development process. 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.

• Various ad hoc multistakeholder groups exist across different branches of government, in which stakeholders may contribute to policy deliberation and development.
• Members of the public are regularly and routinely consulted as part of the policy development for BIK topics.
• Children are actively involved in the design of policies related to their participation in the digital environment. There are specially designed structures in place for this purpose.

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

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

• In Hungary, pursuant to Article 110 (i) of Act CLXXXV of 2010 on Media Services and Mass Communications, the National Media and Infocommunications Authority (NMHH) is the designated competent authority, i.e. the powers of the digital service coordinators as set out in the Digital Services Act (DSA) are exercised independently by the NMHH. In addition, Act CIV of 2023 on certain rules for Internet intermediary services was published on 22.12.2023.

Harmful online content

• The Act LXXVIII of 2024 on the Suppression of Internet Aggression, which aims to curb online aggression, entered into force on the 1st of January 2025 and amended existing legislation in several areas, introducing new obligations and procedural rules. The provision was added to Act C of 2012 on the Criminal Code to criminalise aggression on the internet.
• Under the new legislation, publicly publishing content on an electronic communications network that incites violent acts is a criminal offence. The offender is liable to imprisonment of up to one year, unless the offence is committed for the purpose of disseminating knowledge, art, education, or information. The new rules aim to make the online space safer and reduce incitement to hatred and violence.
• The Internet Hotline (IH) is a legal advisory service operated by the NMHH since 2011 as a public interest service, working to make the internet a safer place. Online content can be reported to the IH if the reporter suspects that it is illegal or harmful to the development of minors. 

Harmful online conduct

• IH's experience shows that the abuse of intimate images is a serious problem reported by many people: adults, children, and both males and females. It causes serious psychological harm to reporters, regardless of age. In case a minor is involved in an intimate image abuse case, it is possible that the content may constitute child pornography. In such cases, IH cooperates with its most important cooperating partner, the Hungarian law enforcement agency. Reports of child pornography are prioritised and dealt with within one working day.
• According to Section 204 of the Criminal Code, content that depicts a person - including the realistic representation of a person or persons who do not exist - under the age of 18 in a position or pose that may arouse sexual desire in others and that is intended to depict sexuality for its own sake is considered child pornography.
• Regarding cyberbullying, the Digital Child Protection Strategy of Hungary supports the creation of an aware and value-based online environment so that rules and policies to protect children are enforced more accurately than ever before.
• The booklet 'Restorative Handling of Offences in School Education Institutions' ('Resztoratív sérelemkezelés a köznevelési intézményekben'), which was sent to all schools, contains a detailed description of the recovery techniques that can be used in offences.

Age verification

• Regarding on-demand media services, Article 11 (2) of Act CLXXXV of 2010 on Media Services and Mass Communications applies, which states that in the case of programs classified under category VI, effective technical solutions must be applied to ensure that the program is not accessible to minors.
• With respect to video-sharing platform services, the question is regulated by Article 15/F (2) of Act CVIII of 2001, which states that the service provider is obliged to implement effective age verification and a parental control system under the supervision of the user.

Commercial content

• The Hungarian Competition Authority has produced guidelines on influencer marketing.

Mental health and well-being

• The National Media and Infocommunications Authority’s child protection activities are relevant to children's mental health and well-being (e.g., educational booklets on cyberbullying, video gaming, social media, and parental control; ChildOnTheNet webpage (gyerekaneten.hu); Magic Valley Media Literacy Education Centres; educational resources of the Media Toolhouse; New media pedagogy adult education programme; NMHH Podcast; Internet Roundtable for Child Protection; Internet Hotline online information and help service; cooperations with NGOs, such as the SOS Children's Villages, the Single Parents' Centre, and the National Association of Large Families).

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

• In 2020, a new subject called Digital Culture was introduced in the National Core Curriculum instead of Informatics. It is a compulsory subject from the 3rd to the 11th grade. One dedicated aim of Digital Culture is to give such skills and strengthen pupils’ awareness of being a conscious computer and internet user as an individual and as a member of society.
• The assessment of digital culture is currently in development as a part of the National Assessment of Basic Competences (which has been administered in digital format since the 2021/2022 school year). The new measurement area is focusing on the digital skills of pupils.
• The KiberPajzs (CyberShield) programme is based on cooperation among several organisations. As part of this initiative, institutions and market participants are conducting comprehensive, coordinated communication campaigns about cybersecurity risks and ways to mitigate them. The CyberShield goes beyond mere communication; it involves intensive collaboration to analyse and enhance cybersecurity regulations and market processes.
• The Partner School Programme of the National Media and Infocommunications Authority (NMHH) provides an opportunity for the authority and public educational institutions to jointly develop children’s media literacy and digital awareness, building on each other’s experiences and bringing the perspectives of children and teachers to the table. Through the partnership, the NMHH provides professional and financial support for media literacy sessions in schools and explores children’s media use habits and attitudes towards the risks and opportunities of media use via research.
• The NMHH created the Magic Valley Media Literacy Education Centres to help children understand how media works and how content is created, foster their media literacy skills and competencies, and instil a critical attitude toward media consumption in children. The first Magic Valley of Hungary opened in Budapest in 2014, followed by a second centre in Debrecen in February 2017 and a third one in Sopron in the fall of 2020. The centres offer a programme for students aged 9 to 16 free of charge.
• ChildOnTheNet is a website launched by the NMHH in 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, when many activities shifted online. As a result, the digital world became the primary platform not only for children's leisure activities but also for the entire time frame of their daily lives. The dictionary-structured website primarily supports adults (parents, grandparents, teachers, and educators) in understanding the digital environment of children.
• The NMHH also publishes educational booklets to inform, educate and support children, young people, parents, and teachers about various aspects of media literacy, such as cyberbullying, parental control, online threats, or video gaming. The booklets provide practical advice for parents and teachers on the safe and aware online presence of children and the youth, and draw attention to both the risks and potential of digital media use.

Digital literacy skills to empower young people

• For vocational education and training, the overarching goal is to provide students with the highest level of education in terms of digital skills. This should apply in theoretical aspects and practical training, wherever and whenever feasible, utilising digitalisation when relevant. VET Strategy 4.0 is important in increasing economic competitiveness and modernising the labour market. Digitisation, automation and the use of technology in education enable students to acquire relevant skills and knowledge to adapt to workplace challenges effectively.
• The NMHH’s child protection activities also address the question of disinformation and foster children’s critical literacy, such as the Magic Valley Media Literacy Education Centres; its New media pedagogy adult education programme; the NMHH Podcast; educational resources of the Media Toolhouse on recognising fake news for 14-16-year-olds.

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

• Young people are represented by their elected representative on the Education Strategy Round Table, with one person. The Board is a consultative and advisory body on strategic public education issues. There is also an independent National Student Council, composed only of student representatives elected by pupils in ascending order.
• Pupils elect their representatives through a grassroots system of student parliaments, and put forward their proposals to policymakers through their representatives. Each year, school student council forums and county student parliaments are organised.
• The Hintalovon Child Rights Foundation (ECPAT Hungary), established in 2015, aims to ensure that adults take into account the views and interests of children in all areas of life. The programmes of the foundation include the following: Child Rights Pro Bono Clearinghouse, providing free legal aid services; Child Participation programme, which aims to develop and implement meaningful ways of child participation; and the NEMECSEK Programme for the safety of children at schools, in sport and in other environments.

Supporting children’s rights

• In 2014, the National Media and Infocommunications Authority in cooperation with the Hungarian foundation of SOS Children’s Villages International, launched a programme of visits to the Children’s Villages and youth centres, offering playful activities and games facilitating the discovery of the possibilities and the potential risks of the Internet to children aged 6 to 18 and young adults aged 18 and above, who live in the Villages without their biological families, have lower-than-average self-confidence and are thus more vulnerable in the digital world.

Digital inclusion

• The NMHH has long taken a keen interest in decreasing digital inequalities as part of its social responsibility. In cooperation with the Hungarian foundation of SOS Children’s Villages International, it launched its corporate social responsibility programme, during which it organised visits to the Children’s Villages and youth centres, offering playful activities and games facilitating the discovery of the possibilities and the potential risks of the Internet to children aged 6 to 18 and young adults aged 18 and above, who live in the Villages without their biological families, have lower-than-average self-confidence and are thus more vulnerable in the digital world.
• In 2024, this cooperation was extended to further NGOs: the Single Parents’ Centre and the National Association of Large Families. In the framework of this cooperation, the NMHH organises awareness-raising interactive workshops for children and parents represented by NGOs on various topics, like online safety, using parental control, and understanding media messages. 

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

Read the full 2025 edition of the Policy monitor report.

BIK+ index 2025: Hungary

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 Hungary 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.