Online safety & content laws in Andorra (2026)
Online safety rules in Andorra: partial.
Andorra, a non-EU/EEA microstate, has no comprehensive online safety law equivalent to the EU DSA or UK OSA. Its online regulatory framework is partial: a GDPR-aligned data-protection law (LQPD, 2021) covers personal data and cookie consent; a Digital Economy Law (2022) frames e-commerce activity; and a 2025-2026 legislative initiative specifically restricts social media access for under-16s with mandatory age verification and content filtering. The EU DSA does not apply directly, though a pending EU-Andorra Association Agreement may eventually extend single-market digital obligations.
Legal framework
Llei 29/2021 (LQPD, GDPR-aligned data protection); Llei 42/2022 (Digital Economy, Entrepreneurship and Innovation); 2026 bill amending the Qualified Law on Rights of Children and Adolescents (social media/minors); Agència Andorrana de Protecció de Dades (APDA)
Key points: internet & online safety in Andorra
EU DSA does not apply
Andorra is neither an EU nor EEA member, so the EU Digital Services Act does not bind Andorran-established entities or apply domestically. A negotiated EU-Andorra Association Agreement (Council Decision (EU) 2025/2610) is advancing but requires ratification by all EU member states and an Andorran referendum before single-market digital rules would become binding.
GDPR-aligned data protection law (LQPD)
Llei 29/2021 del 28 d'octubre, Qualificada de Protecció de Dades Personals, in force since May 2022, closely mirrors the EU GDPR. It grants data-subject rights, imposes controller obligations, and regulates cookie consent. The APDA supervises compliance and may impose fines up to €100,000 for very serious violations.
Digital Economy Law (Llei 42/2022)
Llei 42/2022 of 1 December 2022, on digital economy, entrepreneurship and innovation, establishes Andorra's framework for e-commerce and information-society services. It is primarily economic in orientation and does not impose DSA-style content-moderation, algorithmic-transparency, or platform-liability obligations.
Social media ban for under-16s (2025-2026)
The Andorran government approved a bill in early 2026 amending the Qualified Law on the Rights of Children and Adolescents, prohibiting minors under 16 from accessing social networks deemed harmful to their development, requiring robust age verification, mandating parental authorisation for non-banned platforms, and setting age-specific daily screen time limits. Andorra Telecom must configure SIM cards for minors with default content filters. Data protection experts and Andorra Telecom have flagged feasibility and privacy concerns.
Child online protection, ITU assessment and CoE engagement
In February 2025 the ITU published a National Child Online Protection Assessment for Andorra, evaluating legal, technical, and institutional safeguards for minors online. Andorra has also participated in Council of Europe child online protection forums and joined the international INHOPE network for combating child sexual abuse material.
No platform content-moderation or liability regime
Andorra has no domestic law imposing DSA-style obligations on online platforms regarding content moderation, algorithmic transparency, or illegal-content removal. Platform liability for third-party content is addressed only indirectly through general civil and penal law; a sector-specific regime does not yet exist.
Timeline of decisions
- GuidanceAPDA Submits Penal Code Reform Proposals on AI and Digital Identity Threats
The Andorran Data Protection Agency formally delivered legislative observations to the General Council proposing amendments to the Penal Code, including extending identity-usurpation offences to synthetic media and fake digital profiles, introducing AI as an aggravating factor, and strengthening corporate liability for online privacy violations. The submission marks a shift from reactive enforcement to proactive legislative shaping by the regulator.
Alto (Andorra)
- Guidance · officialAndorra Forum on Child Online Protection, ITU Collaboration
Andorra hosted the second edition of the Andorra Forum, with 30 October dedicated to child online protection in partnership with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU); the Council of Europe's Deputy Secretary General underlined that AI-driven harms to children require cross-border cooperation with no room for jurisdictional gaps. The forum is a standing platform launched in 2024 within Andorra's Digital Transformation Programme 2024-2027.
Council of Europe
- Law · officialLaw 31/2018 on Electronic Commerce and Information Society Services
Andorra enacted Law 31/2018 establishing a comprehensive framework for information society services and e-commerce, mandating transparency in online transactions, codifying liability rules for intermediary service providers, and strengthening consumer protection in digital markets. It superseded earlier piecemeal provisions on digital operators.
Andorra Telecom
Sources
- eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=OJ:L_202502610
- exteriors.ad/en/149-continguts-angles/the-ministry/bilateral-and-consular-affairs/
- coe.int/en/web/data-protection/andorra
- cookieyes.com/blog/andorra-personal-data-protection-law/
- consellgeneral.ad/ca/activitat-parlamentaria/lleis-aprovades/llei-42-2022-de-l20191-de-
- leslleis.com/L2022042
- alto.ad/health/andorra-approves-bill-banning-under-16s-fro-260305
- alto.ad/other/andorra-pioneers-ban-on-social-media-for-un-260309
- itu.int/en/ITU-D/Regional-Presence/Europe/Documents/Publications/2025/Final_A
- andorra-digital.com/en/news/andorra-strengthens-online-child-protection-joining
- dataguidance.com/jurisdictions/andorra
- alto.ad/politics/experts-doubt-andorra-s-under-16-social-med-260216
- coe.int/en/web/portal/-/andorra-forum-addressing-child-online-protection-
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Next topicOrientation, not legal advice: verify against the primary sources linked above. Last verified 24 May 2026. Methodology & how to cite · State of Technology Regulation 2026