Better Internet for Kids

The objectives of the Act is to promote young people’s social inclusion and opportunities for exerting an influence; improve their skills and capabilities to function in society; support their growth, independence and sense of community and facilitate the acquisition of knowledge, adoption of skills and pursuit of free-time hobbies and activities in civic society; as well as to promote non-discrimination and realisation of civic rights while improving young people’s growth and living conditions.

The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health is responsible for the preparation of the legislation on child welfare and for the general steering of child welfare services. The Child Welfare Act safeguards children’s rights and provisions on child welfare are laid down in the Child Welfare Act. Provisions on the rights of children are laid down in the Constitution of Finland. Furthermore, the European Convention on Human Rights and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child are also binding on Finland.

The Act lays down provisions on comprehensive school education and compulsory education, pre-primary education, voluntary additional comprehensive school education, preparatory education for comprehensive school education, and morning and afternoon activities.
(Source: Website - Key legislation on general education).

Entities responsible for implementation: Ministry of Education and Culture.

This Act lays down provisions on the rights of a child to early childhood education and care (ECEC), the organisation and provision of early childhood education and care, and the data repository for early childhood education and care. 

Early childhood education and care is provided as:

The Local Government Act obliges municipalities to set up a youth council and ensure that it operates properly. According to Section 26 of the Act, Youth councils must be given the opportunity to influence the planning, preparation, execution and monitoring of the activities of the municipality’s different areas of responsibility in matters of importance to the well-being, health, education, living environment, housing or mobility of the municipality’s residents and also in other matters that the youth council considers to be significant for children and young people.

The law aimed at combating school bullying has created a new offence in the penal code which is the offence of school bullying, punishable by article 222-33-2-3 of the penal code.  Forms of school bullying are  in this way treated as acts of moral harassment committed against a student. For the offence to be constituted, it is necessary to demonstrate repeated actions. The offence is also constituted when words or behaviours are imposed on the same victim by several perpetrators. These acts may be done in a concerted manner or at the instigation of one of them.

The French President inaugurated the Children Online Protection Lab in November 2022 following the launch of the Call to stand up for children’s rights in the digital environment and the Declaration on the rights of the child in the digital environment adopted in March 2022. This international initiative aims to bring together governments, tech companies, academic experts and civil society actors to share expertise and best practices and test innovative solutions to protect children online more effectively.

The Law of October 19, 2020 aimed at regulating the commercial exploitation of the image of children under the age of sixteen on online platforms. The law regulates the work of ""child influencers"" on online video platforms (YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, etc.). It fills a legal void because nothing was previously provided to protect them. It also gives them a right to digital oblivion that they can exercise alone without their parents.

The Law of March 2, 2022 aimed at combating school bullying creates an offence of bullying that could be punished by up to 10 years in prison in the event of suicide or attempted suicide by the victim. It also improves the right to an education without bullying.

To better protect children on the internet, the law requires manufacturers of connected devices (smartphones, tablets, etc.) to install a parental control system and offer its free activation when the device is first put into service. A decree makes the law applicable on September 5, 2022. Another text is still awaited.