Children exposed to digital risks: UNICEF

One in three internet users worldwide is a child but too little is done to protect them from the perils of the digital world and to increase their access to safe online content, UNICEF said in a report released yesterday. The report, titled ‘The State of the World’s Children 2017: Children in a Digital World’, presents the UNICEF’s first comprehensive look at the different ways digital technology is affecting children’s lives and life chances, identifying dangers as well as opportunities.

The global body has found the young people to be the  most connected age group. Worldwide, 71 per cent are online compared with 48 per cent of the total population and that the African youth are the least connected.

It argues that governments and the private sector have not kept up with the pace of change, exposing children to new risks and harms and leaving millions of the most disadvantaged children behind. “For better and for worse, digital technology is now an irreversible fact of our lives,” said UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake. “In a digital world, our dual challenge is how to mitigate the harms while maximizing the benefits of the internet for every child.” The report also found that more than 9 in 10 child sexual abuse URLs identified globally are hosted in five countries – Canada, France, the Netherlands, the Russian Federation and the United States.

Only collective action – by governments, the private sector, children’s organizations, academia, families and children themselves – can help level the digital playing field and make the internet safer and more accessible for children, the report says. In this connection, Lake said, “The internet was designed for adults, but it is increasingly used by children and young people – and digital technology increasingly affects their lives and futures. So, digital policies, practices, and products should better reflect children’s needs, children’s perspectives and children’s voices.”  The report explores the benefits digital technology can offer the most disadvantaged children, including those growing up in poverty or affected by humanitarian emergencies. These include increasing their access to information, building skills for the digital workplace, and giving them a platform to connect and communicate their views.

 

Children exposed to digital risks: UNICEF

One in three internet users worldwide is a child but too little is done to protect them from the perils of the digital world and to increase their access to safe online content, UNICEF said in a report released yesterday. The report, titled The State of the Worlds Children 2017: Children in a Digital World, presents the UNICEFs first comprehensive look at the different ways digital technology is affecting childrens lives and life chances, identifying dangers as well as opportunities. The global body has found the young people to be the most connected age group. Worldwide, 71 per cent are online compared with 48 per cent of the total population and that the African youth are the least connected. It argues that governments and the private sector have not kept up with the pace of change, exposing children to new risks and harms and leaving millions of the most disadvantaged children behind. For better and for worse, digital technology is now an irreversible fact of our lives, said UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake. In a digital world, our dual challenge is how to mitigate the harms while maximizing the benefits of the internet for every child. The report also found that more than 9 in 10 child sexual abuse URLs identified globally are hosted in five countries Canada, France, the Netherlands, the Russian Federation and the United States. Only collective action by governments, the private sector, childrens organizations, academia, families and children themselves can help level the digital playing field and make the internet safer and more accessible for children, the report says. In this connection, Lake said, The internet was designed for adults, but it is increasingly used by children and young people and digital technology increasingly affects their lives and futures. So, digital policies, practices, and products should better reflect childrens needs, childrens perspectives and childrens voices. The report explores the benefits digital technology can offer the most disadvantaged children, including those growing up in poverty or affected by humanitarian emergencies. These include increasing their access to information, building skills for the digital workplace, and giving them a platform to connect and communicate their views.