The differentiated protection of children and adolescents in digital environments

regulatory challenges in Ecuador

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.12662/2447-6641oj.v24i45.6132.pe6132.2026

Keywords:

personal data, Children and adolescents, safe digital environments, data processing

Abstract

Contextualization: The growing participation of children and adolescents (C&A) in digital environments in Ecuador has intensified the processing of personal data, within a legal framework that recognizes them as a priority group but lacks a comprehensive and specific regulation tailored to their particular vulnerability.

Objective: To analyze the existence and adequacy of differentiated regulation for the protection of children’s personal data in digital environments in Ecuador, through a comparison between international standards, national legal framework, and comparative experiences.

Method: The study adopts a legal-normative and comparative approach, examining Ecuadorian constitutional, legal, and jurisprudential sources, international standards (Convention on the Rights of the Child, General Comment No. 25, and Budapest Convention), and selected regulatory frameworks from Spain, the United States, and Chile. It is a doctrinal study without empirical fieldwork.

Conclusions: The research identifies a structural regulatory gap in Ecuador regarding the specific protection of children’s personal data in digital environments. Existing general provisions are insufficient to address current risks. It is concluded that the State must develop a comprehensive regulatory framework incorporating mechanisms such as age verification, verifiable parental consent, digital education, data processing safeguards, and strengthened supervisory authority, guided by the best interests of the child principle.

Author Biographies

Marcela Sánchez Sarmiento, Universidad Católica de Cuenca - Ecuador

Abogada de los Tribunales de Justicia de la República y Licenciado en Ciencias Políticas y Sociales por la Universidad de Cuenca; Especialista y Máster en Derecho Procesal por la Universidad Andina Simón Bolívar, Doctor en Derecho por la Universidad de Mar del Plata - Argentina. Universidad Católica de Cuenca – Ecuador.

Camilo Pinos Jaén, Universidad Católica de Cuenca - Ecuador

Abogado de los Tribunales de Justicia de la República; Maestría en Derecho Constitucional por la Universidad de Especialidades Espíritu Santo; Máster en Derecho por la Universidad Andina Simón Bolívar; Máster en Derecho Procesal Penal y Litigación Oral por la Universidad Católica de Cuenca. Universidad Católica de Cuenca – Ecuador.

Adriana Elizabeth Mora Bernal, Universidad Particular de Loja - Ecuador

Abogada de los Tribunales de Justicia de la República por la Universidad de Azuay; Máster en Argumentación Jurídica por la Universidad de Alicante; Especialista en Políticas Públicas y Justicia de Género por la Facultad Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales (FLACSO Brasil); Máster en Derecho con especialización en Derecho Tributario por la Universidad Andina Simón Bolívar. Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja y Universidad de Cuenca - Ecuador.

EM ABERTO

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Published

2026-06-09

How to Cite

SÁNCHEZ SARMIENTO, Marcela; PINOS JAÉN, Camilo; MORA BERNAL, Adriana Elizabeth. The differentiated protection of children and adolescents in digital environments: regulatory challenges in Ecuador. Revista Opinião Jurídica (Fortaleza), Fortaleza, v. 24, n. 45, p. e6132, 2026. DOI: 10.12662/2447-6641oj.v24i45.6132.pe6132.2026. Disponível em: https://periodicos.unichristus.edu.br/opiniaojuridica/article/view/6132. Acesso em: 11 oct. 2026.

Issue

Vol. 24 No. 45 (2026): EM ABERTO

Section

Artigos Originais

License

Copyright (c) 2026 Marcela Sánchez Sarmiento, Camilo Pinos Jaén, Adriana Elizabeth Mora Bernal

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