Czech child welfare reports record abuse cases as EU proposes youth digital safety push

Czech child protection authorities recorded a twenty-year high of over 10,000 cases of child abuse and neglect last year, resulting in 3,616 children being removed from their homes. Experts caution that official data represents only a fraction of actual occurrences, with opinions divided on whether the surge stems from societal instability or heightened public awareness. Officials point to a structural lack of clear evaluation guidelines and specialized family support. Meanwhile, the Czech Ministry of Labour is wrapping up a seven-billion-koruna expansion of preschool care under the EU National Recovery Plan, though critics cite a lack of quality control standards. In Brussels, the European Commission proposed the EU KIDS Act to ban social media access for children under 13 and restrict accounts for those under 15.

Sources: Deník N, Hospodářské noviny, iROZHLAS, Respect, Seznam Zprávy