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Although the rights of children to protection, provision and participation are all equally important and should not be prioritised over each other, sessions on the second day of the 2025 IGF put a strong focus on child protection.
The programme began with the workshop, "Combating Sexual Deepfakes: Safeguarding Teens Globally”, which explored regional responses to the wider technical and policy challenges of this issue. The young panellists referred to South Korea’s legal reforms, its 24/7 sexual deepfake hotline and its integration of digital literacy in schools. The discussion then expanded to cover Europe’s response, with a focus on strategies for building resilience against misinformation, incorporating safety-by-design processes, and fostering collaboration within the tech sector.
At the same time, during the main session of the Dynamic Coalitions, "DCs in Service of Internet Governance: Success Stories from the Past and Future of the IGF”, we showcased our close cooperation within the multistakeholder community to ensure that children’s rights are respected and upheld in Internet Governance. We benefit from the exchange of experiences and cooperation, not only in relation to new and evolving technologies, such as the metaverse, AI and the Internet of Things, but also in regard to the standardisation of age assurance tools.
The workshop "Protecting Children from Online Sexual Exploitation", which took place directly afterwards, dealt with strategies in technology, policy and prevention to address the issue. Although livestreaming and digital platforms are central to young people's online experiences, they also present unique challenges for child safety. The nature of online child sexual exploitation is evolving rapidly, from real-time abuse in livestreams to the increasing volume of self-generated exploitative content and coercion.
The workshop brought together experts from civil society, industry and academia to examine how technology, policy and education could intersect to address this urgent issue. Age verification was discussed as a means of preventing children from accessing online spaces not designed for them, while also keeping adults away from spaces intended for children. Although privacy and safety are often seen as conflicting, as was discussed during the panel session, the participants sought a compromise that would be in the best interests of children. The debate will continue on day 3 at 9:30 in “High Level Session 4: Securing Child Safety in the Age of Algorithms”.