Brazil's National Data Protection Authority (ANPD) has opened monitoring proceedings covering 22 digital platforms and social networks to assess compliance with new rules designed to strengthen protections for children and teenagers online.
Brazil's data protection regulator has stepped up oversight of digital platforms as the country implements new rules aimed at strengthening the protection of children's and teenagers' personal data online.
The National Data Protection Authority, known as ANPD, opened monitoring proceedings on Friday covering 22 digital platforms and social networks. The regulator said the proceedings are intended to assess whether platforms are taking the measures required under Brazil's updated legal framework for protecting minors online.
The monitoring follows a broader regulatory push by Brazilian authorities to increase safeguards for children and teenagers using digital services. The ANPD said its recent monitoring activities include major digital platforms, app stores and generative artificial intelligence tools, with a focus on compliance with obligations under Brazil's Digital Child and Adolescent Statute, known as the ECA Digital.
The regulator's action also coincides with a major enforcement decision involving ByteDance, the owner of TikTok.
The ANPD fined ByteDance 153.7 million reais for violations related to the processing of children's and teenagers' personal data. The decision, published in Brazil's Official Gazette on August 25, also requires the company to eliminate data collected improperly and implement a compliance plan aimed at improving protections for minors.
Under the decision, ByteDance must delete personal data belonging to teenagers aged 13 to 18 who are registered on TikTok if the required legal representative is not identified within 60 business days. The company can face additional daily penalties if it fails to comply with the data-deletion and related requirements.
The ANPD said its investigation found problems with TikTok's handling of minors' information, including users who accessed the platform without registering an account. Reuters reported that the regulator estimated TikTok may have processed data belonging to at least 8 million children during the period examined, citing weaknesses in the platform's age verification system.
One area highlighted by the regulator was TikTok's logged-out feed, which allows people to browse content without creating an account. According to the ANPD, the feature allowed children and teenagers to access the platform without effective age verification safeguards.
ByteDance has disputed the basis of the enforcement action, saying the conduct addressed by the fine dates back to 2021 and does not reflect a compliance plan approved by the regulator in 2025 or additional safeguards introduced since then. The company said it would continue engaging with the regulator while considering its legal options.
The Brazilian regulator's wider monitoring means other technology companies could face increased scrutiny over how they identify young users, collect personal information and design protections for minors.
The ANPD has also set transparency requirements for platforms likely to be accessed by children and teenagers. Platforms with more than 1 million users under 18 are required to publish their first six-month transparency report under the ECA Digital by September 17, according to the regulator.
Brazil's latest actions add to a growing international effort to regulate children's online experiences and place greater responsibility on technology companies for protecting minors' personal information.
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