UN releases guidelines urging child safe digital platforms

The United Nations has issued an urgent call for governments and technology companies to prioritize making the digital world safe for children, arguing that current online harms are a direct result of business practices and platform design. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk stated Friday that enhancing child protection online is an urgent priority that must be implemented correctly.

Turk emphasized that while the digital world connects children to learning and community, it also exposes them to significant risks to their safety, privacy, and wellbeing. He said these harms are not inevitable but stem from design choices and business practices that undermine safety, citing features like infinite scroll, autoplay, and persistent notifications. The core responsibility, he argued, lies with states to force tech giants to embed child safety into their platforms and to ensure those responsible for harm can be held accountable.

This call coincides with a global trend of countries implementing or considering age-based social media restrictions. Australia became the first country to require platforms like TikTok, YouTube, and Snapchat to remove accounts held by users under...