• 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

[Translate to Englisch:] Ansicht: 35 Jahre Kinderrechte

35 Years Children’s Rights

This November 20, it's International Child Rights Day! On this day, we celebrate the adoption of two landmark documents by the United Nations General Assembly: the 1959 Declaration of the Rights of the Child and the 1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child (also known as the CRC) - both important milestones in the recognition of children's rights.

[Translate to Englisch:] Ansicht: Familienorganisationen unterstützen Initiative für Schutz vor sexueller Gewalt

German family organisations back initiative to prevent sexual violence

The Working Group of German Family Organisations (AGF) has discussed the European Commission's proposal for a regulation laying down rules to prevent and combat child sexual abuse. As a result of the exchange, the family organisations express their concern about the threat of sexual violence in the digital environment and call for these threats to be taken seriously. The organisations consider it crucial to bring the actual core of the objectives back into the focus of the debate and to objectify the polarisation between data protection and child protection in the interests of children and their families.

[Translate to Englisch:] Ansicht: EuroDIG 2025: Aufruf zur Programmgestaltung

EuroDIG 2025: Call for Issues

The European Dialogue on Internet Governance (EuroDIG) will once again provide a platform for discussion and networking between representatives and stakeholders from politics, private sector, civil society and academia from 12 to 14 May 2025 in Strasbourg, France. In preparation for the conference, there is still an opportunity to submit proposals for the thematic organisation of the programme until 31 December 2024.

[Translate to Englisch:] Ansicht: Aufruf zur Beteiligung: Wirkungen der Allgemeinen Bemerkung Nr. 25

Call for evidence: Impact of General Comment No. 25

The Digital Futures for Children centre (DFC) at the London School of Economics and Political Science, call for evidence on the impact of UNCRC General comment No. 25 on the Rights of the Child’s General comment No. 25 on children’s rights in relation to the digital environment

[Translate to Englisch:] Ansicht: Smartphone policies in schools: What does the evidence say?

Smartphone policies in schools: What does the evidence say?

The Digital Future for Children (DFC) Center supports an evidence base for child rights-based advocacy, and promotes dialogue between science and policy while empowering children's voices. The research report provides an insight into the debate on smartphone policies in schools and the associated children's rights.

[Translate to Englisch:] Ansicht: Deutschland: Sonderberichterstatterin fordert landesweit einheitlichen Ansatz zum Schutz von Kindern

Special Rapporteur on the sale and sexual exploitation of children visits Germany

From 14 to 25 October, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the sale and sexual exploitation of children, Mama Fatima Singhateh, will visit Germany to assess the current situation and progress in relation to preventing, combating and raising awareness of sexualised violence against children.

Ansicht: Der gemeinsame Digitalpakt

Global Digital Compact

At the Summit for the Future, the United Nations adopted the Global Digital Compact, which sets out fundamental principles for shaping the digital environment. This pact is part of the “Our Common Agenda” initiative and forms the basis for a shared digital future.

[Translate to Englisch:] Ansicht: Kinderrechtliche Leitlinien für DSA-Umsetzung

Children's rights guidelines for DSA fulfilment

In implementing the Digital Services Act, the European Commission is preparing the development of guidelines in accordance with Art. 28(4). These guidelines are intended to support the providers of online platforms in implementing their obligations under Art. 28(1) DSA.

[Translate to Englisch:] Ansicht: Kinderrechte im Global Digital Compact berücksichtigen

Global Digital Compact: Protect children online

At the Summit for the Future, the United Nations adopted the Global Digital Compact as part of Our Common Agenda. The Digital Compact sets out the basic principles for shaping the digital environment.

[Translate to Englisch:] 15. IGF Deutschland, Torsten Krause und Jutta Croll

Ensuring children's rights in the metaverse through proactive digital policy

As part of the 15th Internet Governance Forum Germany, the project ‘Child protection and children's rights in the digital world’ held a workshop on the topic of children's rights in the metaverse on 11 September.