Decree No. 12.880/2026 is the regulatory instrument that translates ECA Digital into operational obligations. Published in January 2026, it regulates Law No. 15.211/2025 and organizes the National Policy for the Protection of Children and Adolescents in the Digital Environment, defining institutional roles, platform duties, and enforcement mechanisms.
What the decree regulates
The decree operates on three main fronts. First, it structures the National Policy, coordinating powers among the ANPD, the National Center for the Protection of Children and Adolescents in the Digital Environment, the Public Prosecution Office, and sector regulators. Second, it details substantive platform obligations — age verification, parental controls, moderation, algorithmic transparency, restrictions on advertising to minors.
Third, it creates the semiannual transparency reporting regime (Article 31), mandatory for platforms with more than one million child and adolescent users in Brazil, and formalizes the notification, complaint, and response flows platforms must maintain.
National Protection Policy
The National Policy is the backbone that gives coherence to the regulation. It establishes principles (best interest of the child, transparency, prevention), guidelines (digital education, international cooperation, research), and instruments (reports, campaigns, response protocols). Platforms now operate within an articulated regulatory ecosystem, no longer through isolated bilateral relations with each authority.
In practice, this means product design, content policy, and advertising decisions must be justified within this framework — which requires documentation, internal governance, and the ability to respond quickly to authorities.
Role of ANPD and the National Center
The ANPD retains competence over children's and adolescents' data protection, expanded by ECA Digital. The National Center for the Protection of Children and Adolescents in the Digital Environment takes a central role as focal point for complaints, response coordination, and articulation with platforms.
Structuring the interface with these authorities requires formal legal presence in Brazil — see how we handle regulatory representation.
Operational impact for platforms
For a global platform, the decree means three lines of work: product and policy review to meet substantive duties, structuring a formal notification and complaint channel in Brazil (with strict regulatory deadlines), and semiannual transparency reports in Portuguese where applicable.
Ignoring these operational obligations exposes the company to administrative, judicial, and reputational sanctions — often escalating before maximum fines are applied.