The Federal Council wants to add a youth protection component to its planned regulation of online platforms and search engines. On Wednesday, 14 October 2026, the government took note of the results of the consultation on the preliminary draft of the law on communication platforms and search engines. It decided to supplement the text and set the next deadline: a dispatch to be presented by the end of June 2027. At this stage, this is a direction set by the government, not an adopted law.

What the Federal Council is announcing

According to the Keystone-SDA news report published by SWI swissinfo.ch, the preliminary draft is to be supplemented with additional measures designed to protect young people. The platforms and search engines concerned would have to analyse the extent to which their services create or aggravate risks for minors, and then take measures to reduce those risks. Large platforms would also be prohibited from displaying personalised advertising aimed at minors.

Another change concerns the reporting procedure: it is to be extended to all content suspected of being illegal. More broadly, the future law aims to strengthen users’ rights and to require platform and search engine providers to be more transparent.

The news report does not specify the exact wording of these new provisions, nor the criteria that will make a platform a “large” platform within the meaning of the text. These details will have to appear in the bill that the government submits to Parliament.

Which services are targeted

The text concerns the regulation of internet services offered by companies such as Google, Facebook or YouTube. The Federal Council justifies this approach by the fact that the population is increasingly turning to these platforms for information, which gives them growing influence over public debate.

The scope therefore covers both communication platforms, such as social networks and video-sharing services, and search engines. The announced obligations are not, however, the same for everyone: according to the news report, the ban on personalised advertising to minors applies only to large platforms.

A response to parliamentary demands

By expanding youth protection, the Confederation is responding to demands from the Greens, who had tabled motions on the subject in Parliament. The stated aim is to enable minors to use the internet more safely, while taking into account their right to take part in public debate. The government therefore does not present these measures as a way of shutting young people out, but as a framework for the risks linked to the services they use.

What the consultation says

The consultation ran from October 2025 to February 2026. According to the report on its results, 214 opinions were received, and a majority supports the Federal Council’s proposal. The Centre, the Social Democratic Party and the Greens are among the parties in favour, as are 22 cantons.

The cantons of Schwyz and Thurgau, as well as several parties, including the Swiss People’s Party (SVP), opposed it. The reasons for rejection include fears of a possible infringement of freedom of expression and freedom of information. These objections do not disappear with Wednesday’s decision: they may be raised again during the parliamentary debates.

Timeline: from intention to law

The decision of 14 October 2026 does not yet create any obligation for platforms. The Federal Council has instructed the Federal Department of the Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications (DETEC) to draw up a dispatch by the end of June 2027. This dispatch is the bill, accompanied by the government’s explanations, that is sent to Parliament.

It is then up to the two chambers of the Federal Assembly to decide. They may adopt, amend or reject the text. The measures to protect minors described today, such as the risk analysis or the ban on personalised advertising, therefore remain the government’s intentions until Parliament has ruled. The news report does not mention any date of entry into force.

For platforms and users alike, the timeline to keep in mind is therefore that of the dispatch expected by the end of June 2027. The reference texts at this stage are the Federal Council’s press release of 14 October 2026 and the report on the results of the consultation, both referred to in the news report.

Sources

  • SWI swissinfo.ch: “Switzerland plans tougher social media rules to protect youth”