New york: Children's voices were notably absent during the launch of a new state coalition for child protection at the UN AI Dialogue in July, despite the event's focus on their safety and rights. Kenya, a member of this coalition, is debating an AI bill that currently lacks specific protections for children or a consultation mechanism to include their perspectives. This omission highlights a global trend where the rights of children are undermined by the interests of Big Tech, short-term political strategies, and authoritarian digital practices, even as the world claims to prioritize children's online safety.
According to Amnesty International, children are often treated as passive recipients of protection rather than active participants in shaping the digital policies that affect their lives. The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child asserts the right of children to be heard, yet their involvement in policymaking remains largely superficial. Consultations are often limited to a select few children and do not allow them to meaningfully influence outcomes.
This paternalistic approach tends to focus on mitigating harm rather than fulfilling children's rights or creating a positive digital future. While addressing social media harm is crucial, measures like teen social media bans are seen as superficial political maneuvers aimed at adult constituents rather than tackling the core issues. Youth-led organizations such as ctrl+alt+reclaim, Design it for Us, and Flippgen advocate for solutions that address manipulative design and privacy violations that pervade children's digital experiences.
Attempts to exclude children from digital platforms overlook their need for community, information, and activism, offering only a false sense of safety. Evidence from Australia demonstrates that children continue to access platforms despite bans, leaving them vulnerable to the harms the policies aim to mitigate. Fundamental challenges to children's digital rights remain unaddressed.
Children today grow up under constant surveillance, with their personal data collected and shared from an early age. This data is used by governments and private companies, often without the children's informed consent. Many governments advocating for teenage social media restrictions are also embracing AI in education without adequately safeguarding children's rights.
Children's data protection is inadequate and faces further erosion with the introduction of age assurance tools needed to enforce teen bans. Efforts towards stricter age checks could lead to additional data trails and surveillance risks. Recent legislative developments in France and the EU highlight concerns over privacy and digital identity.
Governments in countries such as Turkey, Vietnam, and the UAE are using the guise of child online safety to propose measures that exacerbate privacy and free expression issues for both children and adults.
The broader debate overlooks how governments misuse technology to monitor and suppress young activists. Recent protests in Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Kenya, Madagascar, and Peru demonstrate the power of digitally connected youth. However, governments have increasingly employed surveillance and censorship tactics against young activists, as seen in cases documented by Amnesty International in India and Kenya.
The focus on social media bans detracts from the critical digital rights challenges facing children. Policymakers must engage with youth as experts of their own experiences, incorporating their input into digital policies meaningfully.
To truly protect children, governments need to facilitate their participation in digital policy discussions and tech companies should co-design products with children in mind. Effective policies should promote digital literacy, safeguard privacy, regulate online services for meaningful user choice, and limit both corporate and state surveillance.
As articulated by Kenyan high school student Mark Igathe in his award-winning essay, children should not have to choose between safety and their voice. Policymakers are urged to listen and provide space for these crucial perspectives.