On the occasion of the United Nations General Assembly, to be held from 22 to 28 September 2026 in New York (USA), more than 125 organisations and experts are reiterating their joint statement on children’s rights and artificial intelligence. They had already drawn attention to these issues at the Global Dialogue on AI Governance in July 2026 in Geneva (Switzerland), emphasising that children’s rights in relation to the digital environment must also be applied in the context of artificial intelligence as set out by the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child in 2021 in its General Comment No. 25 on the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Following a year of intensive work, the work of the expert commission on ‘Child and Youth Protection in the Digital World’ culminated in a closing event on Friday, 11 September 2026. At this event, the two co-chairs of the expert commission, Nadine Schön and Prof. Olaf Köller, jointly presented the final report to Federal Minister for Family Affairs Karin Prien.

For some time now, there has been discussion about using corresponding online age-assurance mechanisms to protect young people, including those significantly below the age of majority, from certain risks. How this could be achieved, and whether age assurance can provide a solution for child and youth protection on the internet, were discussed on 9 September at the Internet Governance Forum Germany (IGF-D) in the panel discussion “Tell Me Your Age First… Online Age Assurance Between the Protection and Participation Needs of All.”

After 9 months of intensive work, the expert commisison on "Protecting Children and Young People in the Digital World" today presented its recommendations to Federal Minister for Youth Karin Prien. On 4 September 2025, she had appointed eighteen experts from various professions and mandated them to develop a strategy for the protection of young people online, including specific recommendations for action for various stakeholders such as the federal government, the Länder (federal states) and civil society.

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).

The train we are supposed to board next year with our ticket safely stored in the European Digital Identity Wallet is future bound. This is one of the take aways from the European Dialogue on Internet Governance – EuroDIG 2026. The conference was designed to take a look back and forward in Internet Governance based on the WSIS+20 review process and the 20th anniversary of the Top-Level-Domain .eu.

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.

The next European Dialogue on Internet Governance (EuroDIG) will take place in Brussels on 26 and 27 May. Under the theme “European Voices for the Future of the Internet – Celebrating 20 Years of .eu and the Beginning of a New Internet Governance Era”, representatives from the fields of politics, industry, civil society, academia and technology will come together to discuss current developments and network. The hybrid event is hosted by the European Commission, at whose premises the conference will take place, and EURid. Registrations for in-person attendance are open until 15 May, whilst for virtual attendance remains open until the beginning of the event.

The age assurance industry has its Oscars. In a posh ceremony hosted by BBC presenter Charlie Stayt, the first-ever Age Assurance Industry Awards recognized organizations and individuals changing the face of the sector, and creating the path for its continued evolution.

The European Union wants children and teenagers to have safe and positive experiences when using apps, websites, games and social media, so it is creating a new law called the Digital Fairness Act. To help shape this law, the EU wants to hear from children and teenagers aged 12 to 17 about their experiences as consumers, including how apps and websites treat them when they choose, use or pay for things online. Your views will help make the digital world fairer for everyone your age.

From 7 to 12 March, the multi-stakeholder community gathered at the ICANN 85 Community Forum in Mumbai (India). Together, they discussed current issues and developments relating to the security and further advancement of the Internet. From the perspective of the “Child Protection and Children’s Rights in the Digital World” project run by the Digital Opportunities Foundation, the focus was on efforts to develop and implement a human rights impact assessment, as well as on the upcoming decision-making process regarding the handling of urgent requests in the context of the Registration Data Request Service (RDRS). In addition, the drafting of a Policy Development Process (PDP) for dealing with DNS abuse was a key priority.

On the fifth anniversary of the adoption of General Comment No. 25 on children's rights in the digital environment, 53 organisations and signatories remind the States Parties to the Convention on the Rights of the Child to realise children's rights on the internet and in digital services.