Making the online world safe for children - explainer by the Children's Monitoring Group

Children have the right to be safe everywhere, including online. Yet we know that many children are harmed by things they see and experience online. This is because the online world – including social media – has not been designed with the safety of children in mind.

Across Aotearoa New Zealand, parents, whānau and politicians alike are ready to take action to protect children from online harm. There is widespread agreement that we need to make the digital world safe for children.

These concerns about children’s safety and wellbeing online have sparked political interest, here and internationally, in restricting social media for children under 16 years old (a social media ban). But being online is a normal part of many children’s everyday lives, and restricting their access alone does not make the internet safer.

The Children’s Convention Monitoring Group (CMG) is concerned that banning social media for some children:

• is not the best way to address online harm, it doesn’t recognise the complexity of harm or work in practice
• can cause harm, especially for LGBTIQA+ and marginalised communities
• distracts from regulating platforms, where the real problems lie
• does not encourage tech companies and platforms to make child friendly content and platforms
• fails to build digital capability, leaving young people unprepared
• may increase privacy risks for children, and for everyone
• ignores evidence showing moderate use can support wellbeing.

So, what can be done to keep our children safe online, to prevent and address the causes of harm, and to make sure children can experience the positives of the digital world?

This explainer from the CMG outlines why children’s rights are crucial to making the online world safe for all children. This includes children’s participation rights. Children and young people know best how they engage with the online world and what works to keep them safe. They must be part of developing solutions to online harm.