• 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

Ansicht: Eene, meene, muh, wie alt bist Du?

Is Age Assurance the Silver Bullet?

More than 600 experts from around the world are meeting this week at the Global Age Assurance Standards Summit (GAASS) half of them onsite while the other half are taking part remotely. The meeting’s purpose is to find out and discuss benefits and pitfalls of different tools in place to gain knowledge on the age of Internet users.

[Translate to Englisch:] Ansicht: VOICE: Perspektiven von Kindern und Erziehenden auf Online-Sicherheit

VOICE: Children's and caregivers' perspectives on online safety

On April 8, ECPAT International, terre des hommes Netherlands and Eurochild presented the VOICE study in Brussels. Together, they surveyed over 400 children and around 6,000 caregivers in 15 countries in Europe, Asia and South America about their attitudes, opinions and experiences regarding children's safety online.

[Translate to Englisch:] Ansicht: VOICE: Perspektiven von Kindern und Erziehenden auf Online-Sicherheit

VOICE: Speaking up for change Children’s and caregivers’ voices for safer online experiences

In April 2024, ECPAT International, terre des hommes Netherlands and Eurochild together presented the VOICE study in Brussels. In the study, children and parents were asked about their views, opinions and experiences regarding children's safety online. You can find more information in our article here.

[Translate to Englisch:] Ansicht: Start einer Dunkelfeldstudie zum Kinderschutz

Start of a dark field study on child protection

Scientists from the German Center for Mental Health, the Central Institute of Mental Health, the Clinic for Children and Adolescents at the University Hospital in Ulm and the Institute of Criminology at Heidelberg University are jointly conducting a representative national dark field study.

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

EuroDIG: Balancing innovation and regulation

The next European Dialogue on Internet Governance (EuroDIG) will take place in Vilnius (Lithuania) from 17 to 19 June. Under the motto "Balancing innovation and regulation", representatives from politics, the private sector, civil society and academia will have the opportunity to exchange ideas and network.

[Translate to Englisch:] Ansicht: 35 Jahre Kinderrechte

We celebrate the new office for the enforcement of children's rights!

The German Bundestag today passed the federal government's draft law on the national implementation of the Digital Services Act and thus, among other things, made decisions regarding the corresponding national responsibilities.

[Translate to Englisch:] Ansicht: Zwischen Kinderprogramm & Social Media: Pre-Teens und die Herausforderungen für Jugendmedienschutz und Medienbildung

Between children's programmes & social media: Pre-teens and the challenges for youth media protection and media literacy

Initiating discourse and debate is the declared aim of the "medien impuls" series of events organised by the Freiwillige Selbstkontrollen Multimedia-Diensteanbieter (FSM) and Fernsehen (FSF).

[Translate to Englisch:] Ansicht: IGF 2024: Gemeinsam mit allen Akteur*innen unsere digitale Zukunft gestalten

IGF 2024: Building our Multistakeholder Digital Future

The 19th Internet Governance Forum will take place from 15 to 19 December in Riyadh (Saudi Arabia) under the motto “Building our Multistakeholder Digital Future”.

[Translate to Englisch:] Ansicht: Hackathon für mehr Schutz von Kindern

Hackathon for more child protection

From 25 to 26 April, the Belgian child protection organisation Child Focus and NTT are holding a joint hackathon in an attempt to develop solutions for the protection of children online.

[Translate to Englisch:] Ansicht: Maßnahmen zum Schutz von Kindern vor sexueller Gewalt online gefordert

Measures required to protect children from sexual violence online

On February 20, 2024, the NGO Protect Children from Finland published its research report with actionable recommendations for platform providers to…