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Children in a
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SUMMARY
Children in a
Digital World
The State of the Worlds Children 2017 examines the
waysin which digital technology has already changed
childrens lives and lifechances and explores what
thefuture mayhold.
Foreword 1
Key messages 3
Chapter 1
DIGITAL OPPORTUNITY The promise of connectivity 12
Chapter 2
DIGITAL DIVIDES Missed opportunities 16
Chapter 3
DIGITAL DANGERS The harms of life online 20
Chapter 4
DIGITAL CHILDHOODS Living online 24
Chapter 5
DIGITAL PRIORITIES Harness the good, limit the harm 28
FOREWORD 1
Foreword
The State of the Worlds Children 2017 The young blogger in the Democratic
is about an extraordinary subject that Republic of the Congo using the internet
increasingly affects almost every aspect of to report on the lack of safe water and
life for millions of children around the world sanitation and other serious issues
and, indeed, for us all: digital technology. inhiscommunity.
This is an interesting but essentially The boy whose video game habit has
academic debate. Because for better and takenover his life, at least according
for worse, digital technology is a fact of tohisparents.
ourlives. Irreversibly.
And worse still:
For better:
A boy driven nearly to suicide by
The boy living with cerebral palsy, interacting cyberbullying that follows him everywhere.
online on an equal footing with his peers,
for the first time in his life his abilities more A 14-year-old girl whose ex-boyfriend
visible than his disability. created a social media profile featuring nude
pictures he forced her to take of herself.
The girl who fled the violence in the Syrian
Arab Republic with her family, recapturing An eight-year-old girl in the Philippines
her future guided by a teacher at the Zaatari forced to perform live-stream sex acts by
refugee camp as she uses a digital tablet aneighbour who operates a child sexual
tolearn. abuse website.
2 UNICEF THE STATE OF THE WORLDS CHILDREN 2017
Beyond the harm to individual children that that can help guide more effective
digital technology can enable or abet is its policymaking and more responsible business
capacity to incite violence on a massive practices to benefit children in a digital age.
scale that affects the lives and futures of
hundreds of thousands of children. We need Equally important, this report includes
look no further for confirmation of this grim the perspectives of children and young
potential than an insidious social media people on the impact of digital technology
campaign in Myanmar this year that incited in their lives telling their own stories
horrific violence against members of the abouttheissues that most affect them.
Rohingya ethnic minority, which resulted
in the killing and maiming of children and Their voices matter ever more and
forced hundreds of thousands to flee are louder than ever before in a digital
towards uncertain futures. world. A world they are not only inheriting,
buthelping to shape.
The internet is all of these things, reflecting
and amplifying the best and worst of human By protecting children from the worst
nature. It is a tool that will always be used digitaltechnology has to offer, and
for good and for ill. Our job is to mitigate the expanding their access to the best,
harms and expand the opportunities digital wecantip the balance for the better.
technology makes possible.
Key messages
Digital technology has already changed Digital technologies can deliver economic
the world andas more andmore opportunity by providing young people with
children go online around theworld, training opportunities and job-matching
itisincreasingly changingchildhood. services, and by creating new kinds of work.
One of the key challenges many young people are struggling with
is the proper verification of sources. Even though technological
innovations have accelerated the pace of life, its important that we
take our time to check the validity, credibility and overall quality
ofthe sources of information that we use.
DENNAR GARY ALVAREZ
MEJIA, 19, SANTA
CRUZ DE LA SIERRA,
PLURINATIONAL STATE
OFBOLIVIA
In
Benin, a lot of young people and children do not have access
to digital technologies and the internet. This lack of access to the
digital world puts young people at a grave disadvantage. I have
been in numerous situations where the lack of internet access was
aseriousproblem.
EMMANUELLA AYIVI, 15,
COTONOU, BENIN
The power and influence of the private 1. Provide all children with affordable access to high-quality
sector should be leveraged to advance onlineresources.
industry-wide ethical standards on data
and privacy, as well as other practices that 2. Protect children from harm online including abuse, exploitation,
benefit and protect children online. trafficking, cyberbullying and exposure to unsuitablematerials.
Governments can promote market 3. Safeguard childrens privacy and identities online.
strategies and incentives that foster
innovation and competition among 4. Teach digital literacy tokeep children informed, engaged and
service providers to help lower the cost safeonline.
of connecting to the internet, thereby
expanding access for disadvantaged 5. Leverage the power of the private sector to advance ethical
childrenand families. standards and practices that protect and benefit children online.
Technology and internet companies 6. Put children at the centreof digital policy.
should take steps to prevent their networks
and services frombeing used by offenders
to collect and distribute child sexual
abuse images or commit other violations
againstchildren.
Introduction:
Children in
adigitalworld
Like globalization and urbanization, digitalization has already
changed the world. The rapid proliferation of information and
communication technology (ICT) is an unstoppable force, touching
virtually every sphere of modern life, from economies tosocieties
to cultures and shaping everyday life.
Childhood is no exception. From the help them fulfil their potential, in turn
momenthundreds of millions of children breakingcycles of disadvantage.
enter the world, they are steeped in a
steady stream of digital communication But millions of children do not enjoy that
andconnection from the way their access, or their access is intermittent or
medicalcare is managed and delivered ofinferior quality and they are most often
tothe online pictures of their first the children who are already most deprived.
preciousmoments. Thisonly compounds their deprivation,
effectively denying them the skills and
As children grow, the capacity of knowledge that could help them fulfil their
digitalization to shape their life experiences potential and helping break intergenerational
grows with them, offering seemingly cycles of disadvantage and poverty.
limitless opportunities to learn and to
socialize, to be counted and to be heard. Digital technology and interactivity also pose
significant risks to childrens safety, privacy
Especially for children living in remote and well-being, magnifying threats and
locations, or those held back by poverty, harms that many children already face offline
exclusion and emergencies that force them and making already vulnerable children
to flee their homes, digital technology and evenmore vulnerable.
innovation can open a door to a better
future, offering greater access to learning, Even as ICT has made it easier to share
communities of interest, markets and knowledge and collaborate, so, too, has it
services, and other benefits that can made it easier to produce, distribute and
INTRODUCTION 7
share sexually explicit material and other use. The Internet of Things, artificial
illegal content that exploits and abuses intelligence and machine learning are
children. Such technology has opened hereto stay, creating new opportunities
new channels for the trafficking of children butalsonew challenges.
and new means of concealing those
transactions from law enforcement. It has What can governments, international
also made it far easier for children to access organizations, civil society, communities,
inappropriate and potentially harmful content families and children themselves do to
and, more shockingly, to produce such help limit the harms of a more connected
contentthemselves. world, while harnessing the opportunities
ofadigital world to benefit every child?
Even as ICT has made it easier for children
to connect to one another and share First and foremost, we need to identify and
experiences online, it has also made it easier close the gaps: in access to quality online
to use those new channels of connectivity
and communication for online bullying, with
a much greater reach and thus potentially
resources, in knowledge about how children
use the internet and childrens knowledge
of how to protect themselves online,
The State of the
greater risk than offline bullying. Similarly, and in both policymaking and regulatory Worlds Children
it has increased opportunities for wider frameworks that have not caught up with 2017 provides a
misuse and exploitation of childrens privacy, thepace of change.
and changed the way children regard their
timely review based
own private information. Despite the rapid spread of access to on prevailing and
digitaland online experiences around the new data sources
Even as the internet and digital entertainment world, there are still wide gaps in childrens of childrens lives
have spurred tremendous creativity and access to digital and communications in a digital world
expanded childrens access to a wealth of technology. Access to ICTs and the quality examining the evidence
enriching and entertaining content, they have of that access has become a new dividing
also raised questions of digital dependency, line. Forexample, children whose access
and exploring key
and screen addiction, among children. is limited to a small range of local content controversies, as
Andeven as such technologies have greatly services viewed via inferior devices with well as proposing
enlarged platforms for the free expression a slow connection are missing out on the principles and concrete
of ideas, they have also broadened the full range of content and opportunities recommendations.
distribution of hate speech and other negative their better-connected peers enjoy.
content that can shape our childrens view Thesedisparities mirror and potentially
ofthe world andof themselves. exacerbate those already affecting
disadvantaged children offline.
Some of the impacts of digitalization on
childrens well-being are not universally Gaps in our knowledge about childrens lives
agreed. Indeed, some are the subject of online, including the impact of connectivity
growing public debate among policymakers on cognition, learning and social emotional
and parents alike. And while the potentially development, make it more difficult to
equalizing power of digitalization on develop dynamic policies that get ahead
childrens chances in life cannot be denied, of issues by addressing risks and making
that promise has yet to be realized. the most of opportunities. Gaps in our
understanding about how children feel about
These challenges will only intensify as the their experience of connectivity including
reach and range of digitalization expands their perceptions of risks further limit us.
and its many opportunities continue to be
exploited commercially and otherwise. There are also clear gaps in childrens
More digital devices, online platforms and knowledge about risks online, and despite
application will be available for childrens rapidly increasing usage among children
8 UNICEF THE STATE OF THE WORLDS CHILDREN 2017
and adolescents, many lack digital skills policymaking; what is lacking is consistent
and the critical ability to gauge the safety coordination and a commitment to tackling
and credibility of content and relationships common challenges with childrens
they experience online. This reflects a need interestsat the fore.
for much more widespread digital literacy
opportunities that can both safeguard Especially now, as the world works to
andempower children. realize the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable
Development, ICTs and the internet can be
Finally, and crucially, all these gaps both powerful enablers, helping realize the promise
reflect and produce lags in policymaking: of the Sustainable Development Goals
regulatory frameworks for digital protection, (SDGs) to leave no one behind. Butaction
digital opportunity, digital governance and by governments, international organizations,
digital accountability are not keeping pace civil society, academia, the private sector,
The constant churn of new with the rapidly changing digital landscape, andfamilies, children and young people
technologies, such as virtual
and are overlooking the unique impact must match the paceofchange.
reality enjoyed here by
12-year-old Mansoor in the
digital technologies have on children.
Zaatari refugee camp, Jordan Ifleft unclosed, those regulatory gaps will The State of the Worlds Children 2017:
ismakingit hard for policy quickly be exploited. There is no shortage Children in a Digital World provides a
tokeepup. of principles and guidelines for digital timely review based on prevailing and
UNICEF/UN051295/Herwig
INTRODUCTION 9
new data sources on childrens lives in The report concludes with priority
adigital worldexamining the evidence, actions and practical recommendations
discussingthe issues and exploring for how society can harness the power
some ofthe key controversies, as well of digitalization to benefit the most
as proposing principles and concrete disadvantaged children and limit the
recommendations. harms to protect those children who
are most vulnerable. These actions
Throughout, the report presents the and recommendations underscore
perspectives of industry leaders and the need to provide all children with
digital activists, and includes the views affordable access tohigh-quality online
of children and young people, gleaned resources; protect children from harm
through adolescent workshops carried out online; safeguard childrens privacy and
in 26 countries, a specially commissioned identities online; teachdigital literacy to
U-Report poll that asked adolescents in keep children informed, engaged and safe
Despite the rapid spread of
24countries about their digital experiences, online; leveragethe power of the private
access to digital and online
commentary by youth bloggers from sector toadvance ethical standards and experiences around the world,
UNICEFs Voices of Youth, and analysis practicesthat protect and benefit children there are still wide gaps in
drawn from the pioneering Global Kids online; and put children atthe centre childrens access to digital and
Online Survey. ofdigital policy. communications technology.
Note: This map does not reflect a position by UNICEF on the legal status of any country or territory or the Percentage
delimitation of any frontiers. The dotted line represents approximately the Line of Control in Jammu and
Kashmir agreed upon by India and Pakistan. The final status of Jammu and Kashmir has not yet been agreed 0 20 40 60 80 100
upon by the parties. The final boundary between the Sudan and South Sudan has not yet been determined.
The final status of the Abyei area has not yet been determined.
Source: International Telecommunication Union estimates, 2017.
10 UNICEF THE STATE OF THE WORLDS CHILDREN 2017
39% countries.
9%
FOREWORD 11
https://ureport.in
Boys
Girls
Boys
12% 10%
9%
Low-income countries
There are countless stories and How well are digital technologies fulfilling
examplesofhow children around the this promise? Without question, they have
worldare capturing opportunities to learn opened access to learning opportunities
and enjoy themselves online and to shape for children around the world, especially
their own paths into adulthood. These those in remote regions. They have allowed
opportunities must be considered alongside children to participate in e-learning and
the reality that they are not available to to access a wide range of educational
millions of children, as well as the risks and learning content that was unavailable
of life online and the potential impact of toprevious generations of children.
connectivity on childrens well-being.
Butthey provide an exciting glimpse of But when it comes to whether or not
whatis already happening and asense
ofwhat could happen in the future.
digitaltechnologies are accelerating
learningin the classroom, the picture has
up to now been much more mixed. ICTs
Digital technology
The idea that digital connectivity could have already opened avenues for children could be the great game
transform education has attracted global to develop, learn, participate and improve changer of our time
interest and opened up new possibilities, themselves and their situation. However,
if it is used to give all
as development organizations, commercial these benefits are far from equally shared
software and hardware producers and and the benefits and opportunities emerging children a fair chance,
educational institutions develop, pilot and for children do not necessarily look the starting with those
tryto scale up new digital products and sameinall parts of the world. most left behind.
services in the education sector. ICTs are
already expanding access to high-quality Assessing the extent to which these
educational content, including textbooks, opportunities can expand, and the
video material and remote instruction, actual benefits they bring for children,
and at a much lower cost than in the past. ischallenging. This underscores the need
They can potentially increase student for more research and evaluation to better
motivation by making learning more fun understand how children are availing
and relatable. And they have the potential themselves of opportunities in the digital
to create opportunities for personalized age and, especially, to understand why
learning, helping students to learn at their somechildren benefit more than others.
own pace and helping educators with limited
resourcesprovide students with better To transform opportunities into real benefits
learning opportunities. for children in a digital age, especially
14 UNICEF THE STATE OF THE WORLDS CHILDREN 2017
for learning, participation and social To truly benefit children, especially the
inclusion,itis critical to understand the mostdisadvantaged, the design process
context of childrens digital experiences fordigital products must begin by
andprovide adequate guidance and considering childrens specific needs
support,especially for children on the usingthe principles of Universal Design
move,excluded children and those asaguiding reference, for example.
livingwith disabilities.
Connected children see digital connectivity
Technology is still at the service as an overwhelmingly positive part of their
of humancapacities and human lives. Their enthusiasm, fascination and
constraints.Ineducation, these would motivation to connect is a reflection of
include student motivation, teacher the clear power and potential these tools
capability and sound pedagogy. Evidence have to offer not just to improve their
suggests that technology has benefits everyday lives but also to expand their
where positive human forces for chances for a better future. This power
learningare already in place. A digital and potential fully needs to be supported,
toolcannot fixdysfunctionalbureaucracies in particular bybringing connectivity to as
or decreaseeducational inequality many children as possible and giving them
where these are not being addressed the skills to maximize the benefits of life
bythelargersociety. inthedigitalworld.
UNICEF/UNI177000/Moreno
02
Digital Divides:
Missed opportunities
This chapter examines the data on who is being left behind and what
itmeans to be unconnected in a digital world. The top-line numbers are
striking: In Africa, 3 out of 5 youth (ages 15 to 24) are offline; in Europe,
theproportion is just 1 in 25. But digital divides go deeper than connectivity
alone. In a world where 56 per cent of websites are in English, many children
cannot find content they understand or thats relevant to their lives. Many
also lack the skills, as well as the access to devices like laptops, that would
allow them to make the most of online opportunities. If these digital divides
are not bridged, they will deepen existing socio-economic divisions.
Digital divides mirror broader socio- opportunities for learning; they are also
economic divides between rich and poor, forgoing ways to explore new friendships
men and women, cities and rural areas, andself-expression.
and between those with education and
those without. For example, 81 per cent For disadvantaged children, such as
of people in developed countries use the those living with disabilities, connectivity
internet, more than double the proportion can mean the difference between social
indeveloping countries (40 per cent), exclusion and equal opportunity. For
which, inturn, is more than double the children on the move, it can mean a safer
proportion inleast developed countries journey, the chance to remain in touch
(15per cent).
The risk that connectivity can become Connectivity via mobile may have a long
a driver of inequity, not an equalizer of way to go to shrink the divide. However,
opportunity, is both real and immediate. assmartphone adoption skyrockets in many
Consider mobile technology, which has countries, including emerging economies,
become embedded in every aspect of itis easy to imagine how central access
daily life and at a singular pace. As the willbe or isalready.
World Banks World Development Report
2016: Digital dividends points out, More Digital connectivity is not only the
households in developing countries own newnecessity of our times; it offers the
a mobile phone than have access to potential to break intergenerational cycles
electricity or clean water, and nearly 70 per of disadvantage from which the poorest
cent of the bottom fifth of the population in children may not otherwise be ableto
developing countries own a mobile phone. breakaway.
I need to share the iPad withall Slow connection its always shutting
my family so I use itjust alittle bit. down andallmy tabs get lost.
GIRL, 15, REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA GIRL, 16, TUNISIA
No availability oftechnology.
BOY, 15, JORDAN
02 DIGITAL DIVIDES: MISSED OPPORTUNITIES 19
In early 2017, Waibai Buka, ayoung girl from the Far North region of Cameroon,
was able to use the internet for the first time ever through the UNICEF-supported
Connect My School project. Schoolchildren from the region which has been
deeply affected by the Lake Chad humanitarian crisis gainedaccess to satellite
internet equipment and tablets through the project, and UNICEF asked them
totellstories about their daily life through picturesandvideo.
UNICEF/UN0143476/Prinsloo
03
Digital Dangers:
Theharms
oflifeonline
This chapter delves into the digital dark side and the risks and harms of
life online, including the internets impact on childrens right to privacy and
expression. ICTs have amplified some of the traditional dangers of childhood:
Once confined to the schoolyard, the bully can now follow victims into their
homes. But they have also created new dangers, such as expanding the reach
of predators, fostering the creation of made to order child sexual abuse
material, and broadening the market for the broadcasting of live sex abuse.
As one child victim of online streaming said, When the foreigner says, get
naked, then we undress. And then there are the dangers that many children
and parents are unaware of the threats to childrens privacy and identity,
forexample, from the industrial-scale data processing that the internet
hasnow made possible.
In Madagascar, a 17-year-old girl was asked These risks are not entirely new
by her teacher for the equivalent of about childrenhave long bullied and been bullied,
US$300 in exchange for a passing grade. have often been exposed to, or sought
Desperate to find the money, she reached out, violent and sexual material, and have
out to a man shed been in contact with always been at risk from sexual offenders.
online for six months. He kidnapped me But most parents probably feel it was easier
and kept me locked in his house for two to protect previous generations from such
months. He raped me repeatedly, she says. risks. Thefront door was once a barrier to
After her rescue by a new cybercrime police schoolyard bullies; now, social media allows
unit, she received medical attention, advice them to follow their victims into their homes.
and psychological support at a One-Stop
Service Centre managed by the government Researchers now typically organize the
with support from UNICEF. Theman and wide range of risks encountered online into
teacher were both arrested. Im doing three categories content, contact and
OK now. Ive gone back to school, she conductrisks.
says. Iwish I had had some guidance.
My parents didnt know I was talking Content risks: Where a child is exposed
tostrangers. to unwelcome and inappropriate content.
I get upset when my mom posts a I worry that one might publish bad things
photoofmine without my permission. inmyname if my account ishacked.
GIRL, 15, PARAGUAY GIRL, 16, BURUNDI
Angeline Chong, 17, walksto lunch with school friends in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Apast victim of cyberbullying, Angeline was inspired to join a youth journalism
platform called R.AGE after seeing a report about its 2016 undercover investigation
of sexual predators who use mobile chatting apps to prey on underage girls.
According to the Malaysia police sex crimes unit, children aged 1018 made
up80per cent of victims raped by an internet acquaintance in 2015.
UNICEF/UN0140089/Humphries
04
Digital Childhoods:
Living online
Whether and how Not using digital Are children Parents and
much children benefit media at all and addicted? According educators concerns
from digital experiences excessivelyusing to science, no. about excessive screen
has much to do with digital media tend Using addiction time should not be
their starting points. towardsnegative terminology in relation discounted but need
Children with strong effects, while to childrens everyday to be addressed in the
relationships use the moderate usehas tech use including in context of many other
internet to bolster positive effects. mediacoverage of these factors affecting
these, while children issues isunhelpful and childrens well-being
experiencing depression, attimes harmful. from family functioning
stress or problems at and school dynamics to
home may find that physicalactivityand diet.
theirdigital experience
compoundstheir
existingdifficulties.
04 DIGITAL CHILDHOODS: LIVING ONLINE 25
Video games. Television. Comic books. childrens well-being? Are they spending
Radio. A Google search on societal too much time at it? Who is most at
andparental worries about the impact risk? What can parents and caregivers
oftechnology on childrens well-being do to allow children space to explore
makesclear that such concerns are and develop independently while also
nothingnew.
As these issues are debated and consider a childsfull life context age,
studied,some basic truths seem to gender, personality, life situation, social
be emerging. Rather than restricting andcultural environment and other factors
childrensdigital media use, more attentive tounderstand where to draw the line
and supportive mediation by parents and between healthy and harmful use.
educators holds the most promise for
enabling children to draw maximum benefit To improve childrens well-being, it is
and minimum risk from connectivity. important to take a holistic approach and
More attention should be given to the focus on other factors known to have a
content andactivities of childrens digital stronger impact than screen time, such
experiences what they are doing online as family functioning, social dynamics at
and why rather than strictly to how school and socio-economic conditions,
much time they spend in front of screens. while also encouraging the moderate
Finally, future research and policy should useofdigitaltechnology.
In Porumbeni village near Chisinau, Republic of Moldova, Gabriela Vlad, 17, uses
acellphone to chat with her mother as her foster mother looks on. Anestimated
21per cent of Moldovan children under 18 have at least one biological parent
living abroad to pursue economic opportunities and send money home to their
families. Digital technology provides a communication lifeline to help children,
adolescentsand adults cope with the parent drain phenomenon.
UNICEF Timor-Leste/2017/Helin
05 DIGITAL PRIORITIES: HARNESS THE GOOD, LIMIT THE HARM 29
The way children will continue to they reflect a core principle that should
experiencethese transformations varies guidepolicymaking and practical action
widely in ways that reflect the way they in the digital sphere: Respect and protect
alsoexperience the real world. Not thechild.
surprisingly, the most disadvantaged and
marginalized are most likely to be excluded
from reaping the benefits of the internet and
connectivity and most likely to experience 1. Provide all children with
harm from the negative aspects of affordable access to high-
technology. Other critical factors including
quality online resources
gender, education status, traditional norms,
language and location all play a role in
the impact digital technologies have in Digital access is increasingly a
childrenslives, for better and for worse. determinantof equal opportunity for
children, enabling them to benefit from
There is no shortage of international access to information, knowledge,
instruments, guidelines, agreements and employment opportunities, community
principles that deal with issues such as participation and social engagement.
internet freedom, openness, net neutrality, However, children face a range of barriers
accessibility and respect for human rights. to accessing the internet and, if they do
What is needed are not more guidelines, per manage to get online, making the best
se, but agreed principles and priority actions useof online resources.
that recognize the responsibility we share
toprotect children from the perils of a digital The State of the Worlds Children
world and to help every child benefit from 2017 calls for the following actions to
the promise of connectivity. expand childrens access to high-quality
onlineresources:
This is not only in the best interests of
children. In a digital world, it is also in the Bring down the cost of connectivity.
best interests of their societies, which can Market strategies that foster innovation
only benefit from children who are digitally and competition among service providers
literate, able to navigate among the myriad can help lower the cost of connecting
opportunities and risks of connectivity and to the internet. Integrating fibre-optic
chart a course to more productive futures. cables into existing infrastructure can also Opposite: Adolescent workshop
lower the cost of expanding connectivity. participants in Timor-Leste use
The action points outlined here are by Andproviding tax and other incentives for icons to illustrate barriers to
no means exhaustive, but together, the telecom industry to bring down the online access.
30 UNICEF THE STATE OF THE WORLDS CHILDREN 2017
UNICEF/UN017615/Ueslei Marcelino
05 DIGITAL PRIORITIES: HARNESS THE GOOD, LIMIT THE HARM 31
Support the people who can support conditions and privacy policies in clear
children. Evidence-based programmes and language that children can understand
policies can guide us to develop strategies andprovide them with easy ways to report
for parents and other caregivers to develop breaches of privacy or other concerns.
the skills they need to positively mediate
rather than simply restrict childrens Dont exploit childrens personal
use of ICTs. In addition, peer mentoring datafor commercial gain. Businesses
programmes can help children help each should not seek to monetize childrens
other moreeffectively. personal information, such as through
targeted advertising. They should develop
ethical protocols and implement heightened
scrutiny and protection for the full
3. Safeguard childrens privacy rangeofdata concerning children.
and identities online
Respect encryption for child-
relatedand childrens data. Given
In a world where every digital move can childrens potential vulnerabilities, additional
be recorded and content can reach vast layers of protection and privacy should be
audiences with a single click, children face used to safeguard their data. Decisions
new risks to their privacy, reputation and to decrypt childrens data to aid law
identity. Data generated through their use enforcement agencies investigating online
of social media, for example, can be used crimes such as child sexual abuse and
for inappropriate advertising and marketing, grooming should be guided by the best
profiling and surveillance. In addition, toys interests ofthe child.
connected to the internet can transmit
the thoughts and feelings of even very
young children to toy manufacturers and,
potentially, other adults. 4. Teach digital literacy to keep
children informed, engaged
The State of the Worlds Children 2017
and safe online
calls for the following actions to protect
childrens privacy and identities:
Todays children are digital natives, but
Put safeguards in place to protect that doesnt mean they do not require
childrens privacy, personal information guidance and support to make the most
and reputation. Governments, businesses, of connectivity. Similarly, they do not
schools and many other institutions handle an automatically understand their vulnerability
increasing amount of data related to children to online risks, or their own responsibility
that are either collected or stored online. tobe good digital citizens.
All actors need to put in place safeguards
to protect these data in accordance with The State of the Worlds Children 2017
international and ethicalstandards. calls for the following actions to improve
digital literacy and make better use of
Set childrens privacy settings at ICTs in education
maximum by default. Maximum privacy
protection should be the basic setting for Teach digital literacy in schools.
digital tools and platforms used by children, With children going online at ever younger
and privacy should be included in the design ages, schools and especially public
of all new technologies from the outset. schools need to incorporate digital literacy
Inaddition, social media and other platform programmes from the earliestgrades.
companies should write their terms and
05 DIGITAL PRIORITIES: HARNESS THE GOOD, LIMIT THE HARM 33
UNICEF Malaysia/2017
05 DIGITAL PRIORITIES: HARNESS THE GOOD, LIMIT THE HARM 35
6. Put children at the centre Track disparities in, and barriers to,
ofdigital policy access. To track the impact of internet
access on equity and opportunity, it is
vital toinvest in the collection of data
Despite estimates that children account on childrens connectivity. Data should
for one third of internet users, current be disaggregated by wealth, geography,
international and national internet policies gender, age and other factors to spotlight
fail to take sufficient account of childrens disparities in access and opportunity
distinctive needs and rights. Policies related and to target programmes and monitor
to cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and progress. Evidence should be used to
machine learning, net neutrality and internet guide policymaking, monitor and evaluate
openness look first and foremost at the the impact of government policies and
adult user. On the other hand, broader strategies, and support the international
national policies that deal with childrens sharing of bestpractices.
rights and welfare, health and education
have yet to universally embrace the Integrate child- and gender-specific
power of digital technologies to help meet issues into national policies and
sectoralgoals. strategies. The legitimate needs and
concerns of children should be integrated
The State of the Worlds Children 2017 in all policies concerning ICTs and other
calls for the following actions to put emerging technologies such as artificial
childrens rights, views and well-being intelligence. Policies should be guided by
atthe centre ofdigital policy: international standards and should seek
to safeguard childrens rights and guard
Give children and young people against discrimination and the restriction
avoice in the development of digital ofchildrens freedoms.
policies that affect their lives.
Childrensand young peoples distinctive Given the chance and provided with
needs, experiences and perspectives the skills children will make the most
shouldinform digital policy development, ofconnectivity. Millions of children
and policymakers should engage with around the world are already using the
institutions and organizations that promote internet tolearn, socialize and prepare
childrens rights and serve theneeds themselves totake their place as adults
of disadvantaged children, and children in the workplace andto make their
themselves, to deepen their understanding markuponthe world.
of these issues. More broadly, government
and civil society should encourage children They are eager for that chance and they
touse digital platforms to share their deserve it. It is up to all of us to see that
viewswithpolicymakers. every one of them gets it.
For every child
Whoever she is.
Wherever he lives.
Every child deserves a childhood.
A future.
A fair chance.
Thats why UNICEF is there.
For each and every child.
Working day in and day out.
In 190 countries and territories.
Reaching the hardest to reach.
The furthest from help.
The most left behind.
The most excluded.
Its why we stay to the end.
And never give up.
ISBN 978-92-806-4938-3
9 789280 649383