Session
Roundtable
Duration (minutes): 60
Format description: A 60-minute session is ideal for our purposes as it allows us to benefit from insights shared by expert panelists while still leaving ample time for questions and meaningful dialogue between both panelists and participants. By adopting a roundtable format, we aim to foster a non-hierarchical environment that encourages engagement from everyone involved. This setup ensures that online participants also have a comprehensive view, facilitating a richer and more inclusive experience for all.
The internet and digital technologies hold significant potential for realising children’s rights. However, the digital space also introduces significant risks, especially for children. This session will focus on the importance of embedding children's rights and safety within the digitalisation agenda. As countries navigate digital transformation, it is essential to implement coordinated strategies that involve multiple sectors - technology, social services, justice, education, civil society and community amongst others - to ensure the safety and well-being of child users. This session, facilitated by UNICEF, will convene speakers from around the globe to discuss multi-sectoral strategies that seek to reap the benefits of digital innovation for children while guarding against myriad risks.
Participants will hear directly from policymakers and practitioners, representing:
• the Family Affairs Council of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,
• the Global Cybersecurity Forum,
• Australia’s eSafety Commissioner,
• Child Helpline International, and
• Business for Social Responsibility.
The speakers will share innovative measures from their countries and organisations. These examples will showcase the roles of various stakeholders in creating policies, programmes, and technological solutions that prioritise child safety and well-being while facilitating children's engagement with digital technologies. The session will include a moderated discussion to encourage participation from both the online and onsite audience. Key points of discussion will include the importance of incorporating children’s rights and views into the design and implementation of policy measures and technologies; the necessity for educative measures to consider children’s safety and well-being in all settings, moving past binary notions of ‘online’ and ‘offline’; and how technologies can support children’s safety and well-being. This interactive session aims to foster collaboration and the exchange of ideas, experiences, and innovative strategies to embed children’s rights within the digitalisation agenda.
UNICEF
Afrooz Kaviani Johnson, UNICEF HQ, New York, intergovernmental organisation
- Dr Maimoonah Al Khalil, Secretary General, Family Affairs Council, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
- Ms Alaa Al Faadhel, Global Cybersecurity Forum, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
- Ms Floreta Faber, Deputy Director General, National Cyber Security Authority, Albania
- Mr Paul Clark, Executive Manager of Education, Prevention and Inclusion, eSafety Commissioner, Australia
- Ms Helen Mason, Director of Operations, Child Helpline International, Netherlands
- Mr Richard Wingfield, Director, Technology Sectors, BSR, London office
Jumana Haj-Ahmad, Deputy Representative, UNICEF Gulf Area Office
Afrooz Kaviani Johnson, Child Protection Specialist, UNICEF HQ New York
Afrooz Kaviani Johnson
Targets: Efforts to prioritise child safety and well-being while facilitating children's engagement with digital technologies align with multiple SDG targets including SDG 5.2, which aims to eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls and SDG 16.2 which seeks to end all forms of child abuse, exploitation, and trafficking. These efforts also align with SDG 16.7, which focuses on ensuring responsive, inclusive, participatory, and representative decision-making at all levels, and SDG 17.6 which emphasises the importance of enhancing global partnerships for sustainable development.
Report
Leveraging data and listening to children are critical to driving meaningful change and shaping effective policies and interventions for child safety in the digital environment.
Addressing the diverse needs of children, especially the most vulnerable, requires sophisticated, multisectoral responses that harness the benefits of digital technologies while mitigating risks.
Integrate child rights and safety into national digitalization agendas: Ensure child rights and safety in digital environments is prioritised through collaborative efforts across sectors and stakeholders.
Focus on prevention and systemic change: Drive corporate transparency and accountability, raise widespread awareness, and foster social change that prioritises children’s rights and best interests, addressing the full range of child rights impacts.
Context
This hybrid session facilitated in-person by Ms Jumana Haj-Ahmad – and online by Ms Afrooz Kaviani Johnson – explored multi-sectoral strategies that seek to enable children to benefit from digital technologies while guarding against risks.
Panel discussion
Dr Maimoonah Al Khalil, Secretary General, Family Affairs Council, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, outlined key initiatives under the National Framework for Child Safety Online, launched in 2023. This framework focuses on four areas – awareness, enablement, prevention, and protection – implemented through 10 tracks in collaboration with 12 government entities, civil society, and the private sector. For example, enablement includes capacity-building initiatives aiming to equip teachers and parents with the skills needed to identify online risks and respond effectively. Another track focuses on integrated governance to ensure coordinated responses when children experience online harm. A recent national awareness campaign, led by the Family Affairs Council, brought together key stakeholders to promote digital safety, encourage healthy digital habits, and advocate for the use of parental controls, reporting tools, and support mechanisms. The framework serves as a coordination mechanism, aligning stakeholders under a unified vision for child safety online.
Ms Alaa Al Faadhel, Global Cybersecurity Forum (GCF), Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, highlighted how the GCF approaches cybersecurity as a multidimensional issue, encompassing geopolitics, technology, behaviour, and social factors, with child protection as a core priority under the social dimension. Entrusted by His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman to lead the ‘Child Protection in Cyberspace initiative’, GCF aims to develop a child protection framework in over 50 countries, upskill 16 million people, and protect 150 million children globally. To achieve these ambitious targets, GCF has developed a strategy informed by a comprehensive global landscape analysis and a survey involving parents and children from 24 countries across six regions. This year, GCF and its partners hosted the inaugural ‘Child Protection in Cyberspace Global Summit’, culminating in 12 key recommendations aimed at driving meaningful action to protect children worldwide.
Mr Paul Clark, Executive Manager of Education, Prevention and Inclusion, eSafety Commissioner, Australia, discussed eSafety’s education programmes tailored to the needs of children and youth from early childhood to their early 20s. Special attention is given to vulnerable groups who may face greater risks online but also derive significant benefits from digital engagement. Central to eSafety’s approach is the eSafety Youth Council, a diverse group of young people aged 13–24, who contribute to reviewing educative content, supporting teaching and education models, and informing broader policy decisions impacting them. Recently passed Australian legislation will restrict access to certain social media platforms for individuals under 16. Acknowledging the complex relationship between mental health, social media, and online engagement, eSafety will contribute research and insights to assist the government and ensure that any new legislation is effective in its measures and minimises unintended consequences.
Ms Floreta Faber, Deputy Director General, National Cyber Security Authority, Albania, emphasized that child online safety is one of the main pillars of their work, reflected in current cybersecurity strategy and the recently updated cybersecurity law. This law tasks the Authority with coordinating efforts across institutions to create a safer online environment for children and young people. The approach involves establishing a robust legal framework and fostering collaboration among government institutions and civil society. The Authority is working with international partners on various educative and awareness-raising initiatives across the country, working with the schools, students, teachers, parents, and security officers. It is promoting safety of children online on international levels as well, including in an upcoming event with 13 South-Central European countries on this subject. Future efforts will focus on creating a more organized framework to engage diverse groups, with special attention to vulnerable and marginalized groups, ensuring that all voices are considered in building a safer digital environment.
Mr Richard Wingfield, Director, Technology Sectors, BSR, London office, highlighted key gaps and promising trends in industry practices. BSR, a global nonprofit, works with companies to implement human rights principles, using the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. Companies are increasingly integrating respect for children’s rights into products, services, and broader corporate strategies. Industry efforts to protect children online are becoming more sophisticated, evolving beyond parental controls to include age-specific content classification, digital safety education, risk assessments for new features, and tailored controls based on developmental stages. However, gaps remain. Safety considerations dominate current efforts, while opportunities to promote children’s rights, such as privacy, and freedom of expression, are often overlooked. Greater transparency is needed, including insights into stakeholder engagement, and nuanced data on how different age groups and vulnerable groups of children are impacted.
Ms Helen Mason, Director of Partnerships and Operations, Child Helpline International, Netherlands, highlighted the dual role of child helplines as both response and prevention mechanisms, including for online harms. Child helplines operate at the intersection of child rights and technology and need to be present in the places where children are, including online environments. Child helpline data, derived directly from children’s voices, offer valuable insights into help-seeking behaviours, and informs policy and programming at national, regional, and global levels. Mental health (32%) and violence (24%) are the most common reasons children contact helplines. Partnerships with industry are critical to integrate referral mechanisms into digital services, ensuring timely support for children. Technology has enhanced data collection, analysis, and even the use of AI (safely) to process chat information from child helplines, crucial to understanding help seeking behaviour. However, raising awareness about child helplines remains a significant challenge, particularly as many children may not recognise abusive situations or feel unable to disclose them. Promoting awareness of child helplines is therefore vital for prevention efforts as well as fostering partnerships with industry to provide seamless referrals to child helpline services.
Interactive discussion
The interactive discussion highlighted key concerns and initiatives around child online safety. A participant inquired about Australia's efforts to understand adolescents' reactions to the new legislation to prevent children under 16 from accessing certain social media. Mr Clark explained that a full evaluation will be conducted as part of implementing the legislation. Baseline research is currently being planned and will serve as the foundation for tracking the impact of the law over time. Another audience member emphasised global collaboration on a comprehensive online safety benchmark. A further question raised concerns about new internet standards undermining content filters and enabling tech companies to evade accountability. In response, Mr Clark stressed the importance of “safety by design” and Australia’s upcoming legislation to enforce a duty of care, holding platforms accountable for user safety.
Conclusion
As the digital landscape continues to evolve, protecting children online will remain a critical global priority. This will require ongoing dialogue, research, and adaptive strategies to address emerging challenges and opportunities. Continued collaboration, including governments, private sector, civil society, and children themselves, and innovation are essential to create a safer online environment for children while respecting the full range of their rights.
Further resources
United Nations Children’s Fund, Protecting Children From Violence and Exploitation in Relation to the Digital Environment: Policy Brief, https://www.unicef.org/documents/protecting-children-violence-and-exploitation-relation-digital-environment
United Nations Children’s Fund, Child Rights Impact Assessments in Relation to the Digital Environment, https://www.unicef.org/reports/CRIA-responsibletech