Internet & Online Safety · Belgium
Internet & Online Safety - Belgium
Belgium regulates online content and platform safety primarily through the directly-applicable EU Digital Services Act, which it has operationalised with national legislation designating competent authorities and enforcement powers. BIPT (the federal telecom/digital regulator) is the national Digital Services Coordinator and single point of contact, working alongside the three Community media regulators. Age-verification policy remains contested: Belgium declined the 2025 EU 'digital age of majority' declaration, but Flanders has enacted a binding minimum age of 13 for platforms it deems harmful to minors.
The DSA applies directly since 17 February 2024; Belgium passed the Act of 21 April 2024 and a cooperation agreement (concluded 3 May 2024, in force 9 January 2025) to organise coordinated implementation across the federal state and Communities.
BIPT is designated national DSC and single point of contact, receiving user complaints, certifying trusted flaggers, recognising out-of-court dispute bodies and vetted researchers, and centralising removal orders issued by Belgian authorities.
Four authorities enforce the DSA in Belgium: BIPT (federal), the Vlaamse Regulator voor de Media (VRM, Flemish Community), the Conseil Supérieur de l'Audiovisuel (CSA, French Community) and the Medienrat (German-speaking Community).
BIPT can investigate suspected DSA breaches, order compliance and impose fines of up to 6% of a provider's global annual turnover; for breaches of the EU Terrorist Content Online Regulation, fines reach up to 4% of global turnover.
Under the EU TCO Regulation (applicable since 7 June 2022), hosting providers must remove flagged terrorist content within one hour of a removal order; BIPT investigated Telegram's compliance in 2024–2025 and is designating providers 'exposed to terrorist content'.
Belgium declined to sign the 2025 EU declaration on a 'digital age of majority' after a Flemish veto deeming it disproportionate, while the Flemish government separately set a binding minimum age of 13 for platforms it lists as harmful to minors and the Wallonia-Brussels Federation backed EU-wide mandatory age verification.
Machine-assisted translation · verified 5/23/2026 · orientation, not legal advice. English version →