The Tisza government has submitted a child protection bill that would remove references to homosexuality and transgender identity from Hungary’s controversial 2021 legislation, while introducing new rules targeting sexual exploitation, harmful content and political advertising aimed at children.
The proposal was submitted to Parliament on Monday by Social and Family Affairs Minister Vilmos Kátai-Németh. It seeks to strengthen children’s rights and safety in both traditional and digital environments.
Controversial LGBTQ references would be removed
One of the most significant changes would affect Hungary’s child protection and guardianship legislation. The current law, adopted by the former Fidesz-led government in 2021, prohibits making content available to under-18s that “promotes” or even depicts “deviation from the identity corresponding to the sex at birth”, changing one’s sex or homosexuality.
The new proposal would remove these references. Instead, the law would prohibit making available or promoting content that is inappropriate for a child’s age or level of development, depicts sexuality gratuitously, or promotes, justifies or encourages sexual violence, sexual exploitation, sexual solicitation or manipulation, or other sexual offences.
The justification says the legislation would therefore focus on actual risks to children rather than sexual orientation or gender identity.
Similar provisions would be removed from Hungary’s media law, advertising legislation and public education law.
Under the proposed changes, lessons covering sexual culture, sexual life, sexual orientation and sexual development would no longer explicitly be prohibited from promoting homosexuality or transgender identity. Instead, they would be subject to the revised child protection rules.
With this amendment, the Tisza government would also repeal the provision in the law that Fidesz used in an attempt to prevent Pride from taking place.
Political adverts targeting children would also face new restrictions
The bill would also introduce new safeguards against political and commercial advertising in public spaces. Political posters and other campaign communications would have to comply with child protection requirements, meaning that campaign materials could not be used if they could seriously harm children’s physical, intellectual, emotional or moral development.
The government also says advertisements that could seriously harm the development of under-18s because of their content, imagery, sound effects or presentation would be prohibited in public spaces and other locations accessible without restrictions.
The rules would apply to both political and commercial advertising. The government has also promised to begin preparing a two-stage pay rise programme for workers in the social and child protection sectors.
Stricter rules proposed for children left in hospital
Another part of the package would address children who remain in hospital even after they no longer require medical treatment.
Under the proposed rules, once a child no longer needs to remain in hospital for health reasons, the guardianship authority would have a maximum of eight days to complete a full assessment of the child’s child protection situation and prepare an action plan.
The stated aim is to prevent children from spending months in hospital simply because the child protection system has not found a suitable placement for them.
The 2021 law triggered an EU legal dispute
The changes would also address a long-running dispute between Hungary and the European Union over the 2021 child protection legislation.
The law, adopted by the Fidesz-majority Parliament in June 2021, was presented by the former government as legislation aimed at combating paedophilia. Alongside tougher criminal and registration rules concerning paedophile offences, however, it introduced restrictions on media content, advertising, school education and publications accessible to minors.
Critics argued that the legislation conflated homosexuality with paedophilia and imposed discriminatory restrictions on LGBTQ-related content.
The European Commission launched infringement proceedings against Hungary in 2021 and later brought the case before the Court of Justice of the European Union. In April 2026, the EU court ruled that Hungary had breached its obligations under EU law with the legislation.
The ruling also resulted in a separate financial issue for Hungary. Around EUR 0.6 billion in cohesion funding has been blocked since the end of 2022 because of the dispute. This amount is separate from the EUR 16.4 billion covered by the political agreement reached in May between Prime Minister Péter Magyar and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on the release of EU funds.
Government says changes could help unlock EU funding
Magyar said in a Monday interview with Hungary’s public broadcaster that the new child protection package could also help Hungary avoid a financial penalty linked to the 2021 legislation. He said the changes could additionally pave the way for the release of around EUR 500 million in EU funding for education, equivalent to roughly HUF 183 billion. The proposed legislation will now have to go through Parliament before it can take effect.
Not a ‘child-protection act’, but, rather, one that is child-endangering.
Woke is coming to Hungary. These EU puppets will be replaced.