Nairobi: A new state coalition aimed at protecting children launched its efforts at the UN AI Dialogue in July without any child representation, except for a brief prerecorded video. Kenya, one of the participating nations, is presently discussing an AI bill that does not incorporate child-specific protections or a consultation process. The absence of child representation in policy discussions and the neglect of their needs are interconnected issues. Globally, a combination of Big Tech influence, political myopia, and increasing digital authoritarianism is undermining children's rights, despite international declarations aimed at ensuring online safety for children.
According to Amnesty International, children and young people are frequently treated as passive entities needing protection through regulation, rather than as active participants in shaping the policies impacting them. The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child acknowledges children's right to be heard, but their participation remains largely symbolic. Soliciting input from a limited number of children within predefined boundaries does not equate to meaningful involvement.
This paternalistic mindset reduces children's digital rights to merely mitigating harm, rather than fulfilling their rights and fostering a positive digital future. Although addressing social media harms is urgent, measures like teen social media bans are more about placating adult voters than tackling the root causes of tech-related issues. Youth-led organizations such as ctrl+alt+reclaim, Design it for Us, and Flippgen advocate for nuanced solutions that resonate with children's and young people's lived experiences.
Despite these calls for systemic change, political leaders often opt for superficial solutions. Risks like cyberbullying and online violence need addressing, but excluding children from platforms also crucial for their community, information, and activism undermines their rights for illusory safety. Evidence from Australia highlights the flaws in this approach; children continue accessing harmful platforms they were supposed to be barred from, while those evading bans remain susceptible to the very dangers the policies aim to address. Core challenges to digital rights remain unresolved.
Children grow up in an environment where their personal data is constantly collected, tracked, and shared, from early digital interactions to educational settings increasingly monitored by technology. This normalizes surveillance, often without their informed consent. Governments, while debating teenage social media restrictions, simultaneously promote AI in education despite lacking child rights safeguards concerning privacy and manipulative design.
Children's data protection is weak and risks further erosion due to age verification tools needed for enforcing teen bans. Stricter age checks could lead to additional data trails and surveillance risks from corporate and state actors. France avoided enforcing its new teen ban law to sidestep conflicts with European regulation, yet Digital Identity Wallets are set to become commonplace in the EU, raising privacy concerns.
Governments including Turkey, Vietnam, and the UAE are using child online safety narratives to introduce measures exacerbating privacy and expression issues for children and adults. The debate overlooks government misuse of technology to silence young voices. Recent Gen Z protests in countries like Bangladesh, India, and Kenya highlight the power of digitally connected youth, but governments exploit their digital footprints for censorship and repression.
Policies excluding youth rather than collaborating with them are bound to fail, as demonstrated by Australian teenagers and Indian students. Meaningful inclusion of children as experts of their own experiences is essential for safeguarding their rights. Governments and tech companies must engage children in policy and product design processes, ensuring their input influences outcomes. Regulators should invest in digital literacy and user agency while curbing Big Tech power and state surveillance.
Kenyan high school student Mark Igathe expressed in his essay that safety should not come at the cost of voice. Policymakers must create space for these voices and listen.