Brazil ANPD Publishes Age Assurance Guidance as Digital Child Protection Law Takes Effect

Brazil’s National Data Protection Agency (ANPD) has published a comprehensive Technology Radar report on age assurance mechanisms, timed to the entry into force of the country’s Digital Statute for Children and Adolescents, known as the Digital ECA, on March 17, 2026.

The Digital ECA (Law No. 15,211/2025) requires providers of information technology products or services directed at children and adolescents to adopt mechanisms that deliver age-appropriate experiences. For social media platforms, accounts belonging to children under 16 must be linked to a parent or guardian account. Covered businesses must maintain risk mitigation policies, Portuguese-language parental controls, and reporting systems. Companies with more than one million Brazilian users face additional transparency reporting obligations. Non-compliance carries fines of up to 50 million Brazilian reals (approximately US$9.44 million) or up to 10 percent of Brazil-sourced revenue, with repeat offenses potentially resulting in platform shutdowns.

The ANPD’s Radar Tecnologico report surveys available age verification technologies against the backdrop of Brazilian data protection law, drawing on precedent from Australia, the UK, and the European Union. Biometric liveness detection is among the methods discussed, though the ANPD notes that age assurance approaches must respect data minimization principles: “The search for age assurance solutions must respect principles such as data minimization, avoiding the unnecessary collection of sensitive information, such as biometrics.”

The ANPD was elevated to independent regulatory agency status in December 2025, placing it in a stronger enforcement position as the new statute takes effect. The agency has framed the core challenge as reconciling effective age verification with the protection of children’s personal data and privacy.

Brazil has been building out its digital identity and data protection infrastructure on multiple fronts. Serpro, the federal data processing agency, has exceeded its digital ID revenue targets, signaling institutional momentum behind the government’s identity programs. The Digital ECA adds a child-protection enforcement layer to that framework, bringing Brazil into alignment with regulatory trajectories in the UK and EU on platform accountability for minors.

Sources: ANPD Technology Radar, Digital ECA (Law No. 15,211/2025)

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By the ID Tech Editorial Team