President Lula signed the ECA Digital decree on Wednesday (18), expanding protections for children and adolescents online. The measure restricts underage influencers and manipulative platform practices. ANPD will oversee compliance.
President Lula (PT) signed on March 18, 2026, the decree regulating the Digital Statute of the Child and Adolescent (Law No. 15.211/2025), published in an extra edition of the Official Gazette of the Union. The 19-page document extends ECA protections to digital environments, targeting content and platform designs that influence underage users' behavior. Guardians of digital influencers under 18 have 90 days to obtain court authorization for content monetization, aligning it with child artistic work rules. The decree defines 'manipulative practices' in three categories: user action obstruction, exploitation of cognitive vulnerabilities, and harm to rights exercise, such as privacy controls access. ANPD (National Data Protection Authority) will monitor these and regulate age verification, without specifying punishments — the agency will define them. App stores like Apple and Google will provide 'age signals' to platforms, with the most protective measure prevailing in conflicts. Lula also signed decrees creating the National Center for Child and Adolescent Protection, linked to the Federal Police for centralizing complaints, and structuring ANPD. The agency will release preliminary guidelines on Friday (20) and an adaptation timeline for companies this week, with definitive rules in the second semester. The event at Palácio do Planalto featured Hugo Motta (Republicanos-PB), Justice Gilmar Mendes (STF), and civil society representatives. Gilmar Mendes praised the measure as the result of 'fruitful dialogue' among the Three Powers, moving away from 'normative disorder' and establishing 'duties of care' for platforms.
