• Topic

    Civil rights and freedoms

    The digital environment provides unique opportunities for children to realize the right to access to information and freedom of expression. The digital environment can enable children to form their social, religious, cultural, ethnic, sexual and political identities and to participate in associated communities and in public spaces for deliberation, cultural exchange, social cohesion and diversity.

    The fulfilment of these rights must be ensured and the right of the child to freedom of thought, conscience and religion in the digital environment must be respected. Privacy is vital to children’s agency, dignity and safety and for the exercise of their rights.

    Children’s personal data are processed to offer educational, health and other benefits to them. Therefore, it must be ensured by legislative, administrative and other measures that children’s privacy is respected and protected by all organizations and in all environments that process their data.

    By use of digital identification systems that enable all newborn children to have their birth registered and officially recognized by the national authorities, access to services, including health, education and welfare shall be facilitated.

Current News

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European Commission: Children’s rights must be taken seriously

The Special Panel on Child Safety Online today presented its recommendations to the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen. In their report, the experts examine how children and young people grow up in the digital environment, highlighting its advantages and disadvantages, and propose a framework based on the developmental stages of young people. The German expert commission on ‘Protecting Children and Young People in the Digital World’ has already taken a similar approach, having submitted its report to the German government just under three weeks ago.

[Translate to Englisch:] Child safety online

The report by the co-chairs of the Special Committee on Child Safety Online: Child Safety Online

The report by the co-chairs of the Special Committee on Children's Safety on the Internet has been published.

UNICEF Innocenti: AI Brief

UNICEF Innocenti has published a report. It presents new findings on the topic of AI from children and their parents or caregivers in a wide range of countries.

ECPAT - Policy Brief: Small Amounts, Grave Consequences

In July 2026, ECPAT Deutschland e.V. published a study in German. The study focuses on financial transactions related to the sexual exploitation of minors in the digital space. The accompanying policy brief was also made available in English.

IGF 2026: Call for Session Proposals

Kenya will host the 21th United Nations Internet Governance Forum (IGF) from 14 to 18 December 2026. For the first time since the United Nations General Assembly made the mandate permanent, participants from stakeholder groups representing government, private sector, technical community, intergovernmental organisations and civil society will gather in Nairobi. Together, they will discuss current issues and challenges relating to the shaping of the digital environment under the overarching theme ‘Governing the Internet in the Age of Intelligence: Our Shared Responsibility.

UN Report: Getting Children’s Safety Online Right

This brief offers some guidance to help ensure we get children’s safety online right.

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Consider children's rights in relation to new gTLDs

The multi-stakeholder community gathered in Seville, Spain, for the ICANN Policy Forum from 8 to 11 June to continue discussing current issues and developments regarding the structuring and safeguarding of the internet. The “Child Protection and Children’s Rights in the Digital World” project run by the Digital Opportunities Foundation has been actively involved in the ICANN community for years, working to ensure that aspects of child protection, in particular, are taken into account within the Domain Name System (DNS).

[Translate to Englisch:] (c) pixabay via canva.com

Principles for a safe online environment for children

The G7 Digital and Technology Ministers (Germany, France, Italy, Japan, Canada, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and the United States of America) have, for the first time, defined a common set of principles for a safer and more secure digital space for minors. They call on digital service providers to use these principles as a guide for the design of their services and to work with the necessary partners to implement them.

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G7 Common Set of Principles defining a safer and more secure digital space for minors

Die Minister*innen für Digitales und Technologie der G7-Staaten (Deutschland, Frankreich, Italien, Japan, Kanada, das Vereinigte Königreich von Großbritannien und Nordirland sowie die Vereinigten Staaten von Amerika) haben erstmalig gemeinsame Prinzipien für ein sicheres digitales Umfeld für Minderjährige definiert.

Help shape the EU Youth Strategy

As part of a survey, the European Commission is encouraging people to share their perspectives and ideas to help shape the EU Youth Strategy beyond 2027. The Youth Strategy promotes the active participation of young people in democracy and society. It focuses primarily on the areas of participation, empowerment, and interaction.