site.btaEU Citizens Express Overwhelming Support for Measures to Keep Children Safe Online

Some 95% of Europeans want laws to protect children from online sexual abuse, while 53% in Bulgaria confirm that the problem of online child sexual abuse is widespread in the country. A total of 58% of respondents in Bulgaria believe that the ability to detect child abuse is more important than the right to privacy online, the National Network for Children said in a press release on Friday.

A new survey by Eurobarometer, conducted ahead of the EU Council vote on the Child Sexual Abuse Regulation, reveals that 95% of Europeans want regulations that ensure children's safety online. 

The survey was conducted among 26,000 adults from the 27 EU member states. The Bulgarian participants numbered 1,050. 

According to Eurobarometer data, 92% of Bulgarians strongly or rather agree that children are increasingly exposed to risks online. Over half (53%) agree that the problem of online child sexual abuse is widespread in Bulgaria.

In Bulgaria, 58% consider the ability to detect child abuse more important than the right to online privacy, another 37% consider the right to online privacy and the ability to detect child abuse equally important and only 2% say that the right to online privacy is more important than the ability to detect child abuse.

Two tools for detecting online sexual abuse from platforms are the most supported in Bulgaria: 

• "Tools that automatically detect images and videos of child sexual abuse material already known to the police, to identify where these images and videos are shared online again", supported by 52% of Bulgarian respondents. 
• "Service providers detecting child sexual abuse material and grooming conversations in messages (e.g. email and chat) in case of a significant risk of child sexual abuse on a specific platform", supported by 51%. 

In Bulgaria, 80% are fully or somewhat supportive of adopting a new online child sexual abuse protection law.