Child Online Protection (COP) is a global challenge, and it requires a holistic approach and a global response, international cooperation, and national coordination to protect children from online risks and potential harm and empower them to fully benefit from online opportunities.
COUNCIL WORKING GROUP ON CHILD ONLINE PROTECTION
| The Council Working Group on Child Online Protection has defined child online protection actions which include raising awareness of child online safety issues and assisting and supporting Member States in developing and implementing roadmaps for the Child Online Protection initiative. Consult resolution 179 for more information.
Click here to view past contributions.
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WHAT WE DO
Advocacy
The Child Online Protection initiative promotes a holistic approach to child online protection to build safe, gender-sensitive, age-appropriate, inclusive, and rights respecting digital environments for children and young people worldwide.
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Research and Knowledgement The
Child Online Protection initiative develops key recommendations and guidance to support all relevant stakeholders in their efforts to create a safe and empowering online environment for children and young people allowing them to realize the full range of their rights.
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In-Country Programmes The
Child Online Protection initiative supports Member States in the drafting, adoption and implementation of
Child Online Protection National Frameworks and comprehensive strategies that involve all relevant stakeholder groups.
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Child Participation The Child Online Protection initiative champions child participation, encouraging their active involvement in decision-making processes. By engaging children in shaping policies, their insights lead to more targeted strategies that address evolving risks. This approach not only respects children's rights and amplifies their voices but also fosters a safer digital landscape.
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HIGHLIGHTS
ITU works to protect and empower children online, everywhere. Across five Regions, we support relevant stakeholders to contribute to the protection of children's rights in the digital environment.
PUBLICATIONS
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PoP Guiding Principles
Guiding principles to facilitate children's access to protection and support through digital means (2025)
Children increasingly turn to digital platforms when they need help or support. The PoP Guiding Principles, developed by ITU and the Office of the UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence Against Children, in collaboration with over 30 partners from different sectors, provide practical, rights-based guidance for governments, digital platforms, and child helplines and similar services to transform digital spaces into safe and accessible pathways to protection.
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ITU Child Online Protection Guidelines and Recommendations
2021:
Read
here the ITU Policy Brief: Keeping children safe in the digital environment: The importance of protection and empowerment.
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Recommendations on Child Online Protection in sports Today, sports organizations widely use digital tools for purposes of communication, promotion, and education. ITU, Scort and partners joint forces to provide tangible recommendations to support sports organizations aiming to better protect children by integrating online safeguarding policies and aligned opportunities for children's empowerment in the online and sports environment into organizations’ child protection frameworks.
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Global Status Report
Discover the latest insights from our Global Program on Child Online Protection through our Global Status Report. With remarkable completion rates and invaluable information from individual activities, our collaborative effort has seen active participation from key partners. Dive into the full report for a comprehensive overview of our progress and future strategies.
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RESOURCES
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Trainings
With the kind support of KSA’s National Cybersecurity Authority, ITU and partners are launching a set of online self-paced trainings on child online protection, geared towards the following target groups: parents, educators, policy-makers, and ICT and industry professionals, as well as children and adolescents (aged 9-12, children aged 13-18).
Click
here for more details on the individual courses. (new versions available!) The trainings will also be accessible on ITU Academy
here. Stay tuned and look out for new trainings
coming soon!
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| POP: Protection through online Participation
Protection through Online Participation (PoP) is a global, multi-stakeholder initiative under ITU’s Child Online Protection (COP) Programme, examining how children and young people use digital platforms to access protection and support, including through child helplines and peer support networks.
Building on global surveys and consultations, PoP provides practical, rights-based guidance to help governments, digital platforms, and child protection services strengthen online support systems and ensure children can safely access protection when facing harm — online or offline.
The research will result in a virtual map identifying support systems used by children and young people and recommendations for all relevant stakeholders on how to create new and improve existing online support systems and ensure that children and young people can access them.
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Online Safety for Kids and Teens with Sango
Are you interested in online safety? Meet Sango, the ITU child online protection mascot who can give you some ideas on how to stay safe and have fun online!
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Game and App
Have fun and play online, while learning how to stay safe online! We invite you to a journey helping you to achieve basic knowledge on online safety through our online game and engage in more advanced challenges through our mobile application on online safety for you!
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RESEARCH
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Report: Safeguarding Children Online: A service-specific view on risks and parental attitudes The report “Safeguarding Children Online: A service-specific view on risks and parental attitudes “, commissioned by Netflix, was drafted by Telecommunications Management Group, Inc. (TMG) in collaboration with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), as an expert agency focused on child online protection.
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PARTNERS
Are you an advocate for Children’s ‘rights online?
Join us and become part of a unique network of experts on children’s rights and ICTs!
In partnership with:
International/Governmental
Academia
Private Sector
NGOs
Click here to become a Child Online Protection partner!