GENEVA — The UN human rights office issued a 10-point framework titled 'Getting Children's Safety Online Right' urging governments and tech companies to better protect children online. The guidelines call for safety to be embedded into platform architecture from the outset rather than relying on parents and children to manage risks.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk stated that harms children face in digital spaces are the result of deliberate commercial choices, not inevitable outcomes. "Online harms to kids' safety, privacy and wellbeing result from design choices and business practices that undermine safety, including addictive design features such as infinite scroll, autoplay, and persistent notifications," Türk said.
Türk cautioned that social media bans for children can be easily circumvented and may push children toward riskier, less monitored online spaces. "Simply limiting access to platforms that remain unsafe cannot stand as the endpoint," he said.
The framework recommends mandatory child rights impact assessments, tightly regulated age verification to guard against privacy risks, and meaningful consultation with children when crafting regulatory responses. These measures aim to ensure that children’s rights are protected without compromising their access to digital spaces.
Peggy Hicks, OHCHR Director of Thematic Engagement and Special Procedures, said tech companies must choose between redesigning platforms to protect children or facing restrictive legislation and regulatory fines. "Change how their platforms are designed and operated to better protect children's rights and safety – or be forced to do so through increasingly restrictive legislation and regulatory fines," Hicks said.