A proteção dos adolescentes no Instagram: análise à luz do Estatuto Digital da Criança e do Adolescente

Abstract

This dissertation examines the protection of adolescents in the digital environment in light of their growing presence on social media platforms and the risks associated with the operational logic of these services. In the Brazilian context, this issue becomes particularly relevant given the increasing participation of adolescents in virtual environments. In this scenery, the enactment of Law nº 15.211/2025, which established the Digital Statute of the Child and Adolescent, represents an important regulatory milestone in the effort to ensure the rights of these individuals in digital spaces. The general objective of this research is to understand how the Instagram platform should adapt in order to safeguard adolescents’ rights in accordance with the guidelines established by the ECA Digital. As its theoretical framework, the study adopts the concept of the best interests of the child and adolescent in the digital environment, as developed by Sonia Livingstone, Nigel Cantwell, Didem Özkul, Gazal Shekhawat and Beeban Kidron, emphasizing the State’s responsibility to define normative parameters for the operation of digital platforms, whose commercial interests and data-driven business models frequently come into tension with the effective protection of adolescents’ rights. Methodologically, the research is juridical-dogmatic in nature, with a qualitative and bibliographic approach, grounded in the interpretation of legal norms and the analysis of specialized literature. The dissertation is organized into three chapters: the first examines the business model of digital platforms and the specific vulnerabilities of adolescents within this ecosystem; the second presents the development of the Digital Statute of the Child and Adolescent and the Brazilian legal framework for protecting this population; and the third analyzes the measures adopted by Instagram to protect adolescents on its platform, highlighting limitations in its compliance with the requirements established by the ECA Digital.