IGF 2023 WS #223 Engaging commerce, innovation and children's privacy online

Description:

In today’s digital era, children are regarded as digital natives. They represent around a third of the world’s internet users, hailing mostly from the Global South. For many, the use of technology is inseparable from their daily life. And as they grow older, they continue to climb the “ladder of online participation” owing to the newer technologies they are exposed to.

In an ideal world, this may seem benign, or advantageous even. In the real one that we have, however, it is not. A big reason for this is that children—equipped only with limited knowledge and comprehension skills—are generally treated as adults in the online realm. Combined with poor policies and age-inappropriate designs of technologies, it increases the dangers children are exposed to, such as sexual harassment and abuse, cyberbullying, and microtargeting. Those in developing countries are particularly more vulnerable.

This is a critical issue that needs to be addressed. Right now, there is the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child which requires States, parents, and even companies to provide special assistance and protection to children. It must apply online with equal force and with the same urgency and dedication from all stakeholders. Unfortunately, there are only a handful of measures at the moment that cater to the protection of children from online privacy risks. Worse, most are developed for and/or are often enforced only in developed countries.

The proposed round table discussion focuses on online privacy risks as they relate to children’s use of technologies, such as the internet, mobile apps, and social media platforms. It particularly seeks to highlight the challenges confronting those in the Global South, as well as the measures being implemented to address them. The organizers will gather recommendations that balance children’s online privacy with innovation and the private sector’s economic interests.