IGF 2022 WS #48 Balancing Child Online Protection and Rights to the Internet

Organizer 1: Rui Li, UNICEF
Organizer 2: Xiuyun Ding, China Federation of Internet Societies
Organizer 3: Shenrui LI, unicef
Organizer 4: Sookie Su, Tencent
Organizer 5: Hui Zhao, China Federation of Internet Societies

Speaker 1: Giusti Dora, Intergovernmental Organization, Intergovernmental Organization
Speaker 2: Sookie Su, Private Sector, Asia-Pacific Group
Speaker 3: Yi Cui, Civil Society, Asia-Pacific Group

Moderator

Shenrui LI, Intergovernmental Organization, Asia-Pacific Group

Online Moderator

Xiuyun Ding, Civil Society, Asia-Pacific Group

Rapporteur

Hui Zhao, Civil Society, Asia-Pacific Group

Format

Panel - Auditorium - 60 Min

Policy Question(s)

1.Technical means of protection are generally recognized in protecting children online, while they need to be further advocated and popularized. How to realize joint governance among the state, society, family and school to protect children’ right to access the Internet?

2. How can technology companies avoid over restriction on children’s use of the Internet while protecting them when developing products or formulating usage policies?

3. What improvements can be made on laws and policies to better implement the principles of non-discrimination, the best interests of the child, the right to life, survival and development, respect for the views of the child, and other child rights safeguards related to the digital environment, as stipulated in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, while effectively protecting children from abuse from the Internet?

Connection with previous Messages: Artificial intelligence technologies play an vital role in promoting children’s rights online and protecting them from online abuses, reinforcing the results of our “Artificial Intelligence for Children” awards and launches in 2021 in the framework of the IGF 2021.

SDGs

16.10
16.2
16.7


Targets: First of all, child online protection is a fundamental means to prevent Internet addiction, cyber bullying, privacy disclosure, exploitation and violence against children in the digital world. The forum aims to provoke thinking and initiatives of each country on how to protect children from the above-mentioned forms of cyber violence on the basis of ensuring their right to access the Internet, and thus to strike a balance between the right of children to access the Internet and online protection that is agreed upon among countries.

Secondly, the forum aims to enhance the representation of various stakeholders in policy formulation. This includes not only the participation of stakeholders at all levels within a country in the work on the right of children to access the Internet and online protection, but also the voice of countries at the international level on this issue. Through the statements and sharing of the representatives of each country, the right to multi-dimensional participation in the process of child online governance is promoted.

Finally, the forum seeks to protect the rights and interests of children in the digital world, always highlighting the right of children to access the Internet and online protection in parallel. The rights of children to development, participation and protection are basic human rights and fundamental rights to ensure public access to information and protect basic freedoms. The state, society, enterprises and guardians are all protectors of children, and it is important to ensure standards and transparency in the implementation of children’s relevant rights in the digital world and to protect human rights in a meaningful way.

Description:

Digital technologies afford new opportunities for the realization of children’s rights, but also poses the risks of their violation or abuse. The promotion of children’s right to access the Internet inevitably poses a huge challenge to child online protection, and balancing the protection of children’s right to access the Internet and the implementation of online protection measures has become a widespread social concern.

Globally, digital divides still mirror broader socio-economic divides between children in developed countries and in developing countries. But digital divides do not merely separate the connected and the unconnected. They go deeper, concerning how children use ICT, as well as the quality of the online experience. At the same time, new technologies will demand our full attention in terms of potential risks. Take, for example, the debate around potential biases or discrimination by AI algorithms. Meaningful access to digital technologies can support children to realize the full range of their civil, political, cultural, economic and social rights. However, if digital inclusion is not achieved, existing inequalities are likely to increase, and new ones may arise.

China has a large number of big Internet platforms that cover a wide range of areas, including video (including short video and livestreaming), games, and text content. With 189 million children using the Internet and the Internet penetration rate among children reaching 94.9%, many children in China are using these platforms. The Government of China has made efforts to address this issue through relevant laws and policies (e.g., Law on the Protection of Minors, 2021. Regulations on Child Online Protection, 2022) to protect children from harmful contents or other abuses from the Internet. The measures currently taken by some technology companies to implement these laws and policies may either violate children’s privacy and right to rational use of the Internet, or do not take into account children’s evolving capacities, resulting in a conflict between protecting children from abuses in the digital world and protecting children’s right to rational use of the Internet. Meanwhile, exchange on experiences from developed countries with similarly high rates of Internet penetration among children may inspire and inform China, and lead to in-depth reflection on this issue and relevant countermeasures.

This forum will explore the balance between protection of the rights of children to development, participation and protection in the digital world, and strengthening measures to prevent children from Internet addiction, cyberbullying, privacy breaches, and harmful contents.

Experts and representatives from government, industry organizations, universities and research institutions, and businesses will be invited to join the discussion. The discussion will focus on the balance between the child online protection and the right to access the Internet.

Rundown

1. Introduction (5 minutes): Moderator introduces the background of the forum and the topics to be discussed.

2. Expert presentations (40 minutes): Six keynote speakers from various countries and regions will deliver presentations based on their countries’ practices and legislation, and express their views on the balance between the child online protection and realizing children’s right to access the Internet, and discuss the economic and social implications of the balance between the two.

3. Guided discussion (30 minutes): Participants will be guided to discuss policies issues around child online protection and their right to access the Internet.

4. Q&A session (10 minutes): Audience joining online and onsite (Ethiopia & Beijing) ask questions about online protection and children’s rights in the digital environment.

5. Summary (5 minutes): Moderator closes the forum.

Expected Outcomes

Through this forum, we will promote the realization of children’s right to access the Internet while better protecting them from abuses in the digital world. The forum will deliver three expected outcomes.

First, to explore how to effectively protect children’s right to access the Internet through collective governance by the state, society, schools and families.

Second, technology companies will develop more balanced products and strategies to protect the rights of children in the digital age.

Third, to document experiences and provide policy recommendations on protection of children’s rights in the digital age in a more reasonable manner, explore the construction of a meaningful balanced framework and unified international standards on children’s rights to use the Internet and online protection, and initiate the mechanism of a transnational research working group.

Hybrid Format: (1) Should conditions allow, the organizer will invite guests to attend the event offline in Ethiopia for on-site interaction, and will consider: firstly, inviting keynote speakers to deliver their speeches on stage, with the moderator controlling the pace and guiding the questions; secondly, conducting real-time voting on site through voting equipment to understand if online and on-site audience approve the views of the speakers; thirdly, strictly limit the duration of speeches to leave enough time for each delegate and for discussions as well.

(2) The organizer will design and produce videos, animations, posters, etc. on the theme of the forum, which will be disseminated through multimedia to provoke thinking of the participants and the audience and encourage joint participation.

Online Participation



Usage of IGF Official Tool.