Delivering Child Online Protection worldwide
Close to two-thirds of the global population is estimated to be online, according to the latest ITU data, and an estimated 79% of people, aged between 15 and 24, use the Internet in 2024. While providing avenues for communication, learning, and creativity, the online realm exposes children and young people to various risks, including cyberbullying, privacy violations, and exploitation.
Safeguarding children is becoming increasingly critical.
The formulation of national Child Online Protection frameworks, standardized international approaches, and the promotion of awareness and education can help respond to these challenges.
Addressing the pressing need for comprehensive child online protection efforts, a global project on “Creating a Safe and Prosperous Cyberspace for Children” was launched by the Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT) of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in collaboration with the National Cybersecurity Authority (NCA) of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Global Cybersecurity Forum.
The programme supports the implementation of the 2020 ITU Child Online Protection guidelines through cyber skills development and policy support, enabling all key stakeholders of the child online protection ecosystem.
It works through two primary workstreams: national policy development, encouraging the active involvement of children and young people in decision-making processes; and capacity-building, supporting all relevant stakeholders to play their role in protecting and empowering children and young people to thrive online. The project’s holistic approach to building a safe cyberspace for children and young people worldwide has empowered 16,700 children and young people, 2,000 parents and educators, 720 government stakeholders and 400 industry representatives to date.
By forging collaborations and partnerships with key stakeholders in the realm of child online protection, the programme presents a unique opportunity to ensure the alignment, validation, and joint dissemination of new products and services, as well as engage various national, regional and global initiatives, fostering collaborative efforts within the programme’s framework.
Achievements and impact to date include:
- Translation of the Child Online Protection guidelines and related resources into 25 languages: Albanian, Amazigh, Amharic, Armenian, Aymara, Bosnian, Bulgarian, Croatian, Dutch, Hungarian, Indonesian Bahasa, Kyrgyz, Lithuanian, Maltese, Mongolian (including sign language), Nigerian, Quechua, Portuguese (Brazil), Romanian, Serbian, Swahili, Thai, Turkish, Ukrainian and Uzbek.
- Trainings and workshops, including “Train-the-Trainers” programmes, to enhance the capacity of parents, guardians, educators, and ICT professionals to access safety digital skills tools.
- Interactive training sessions were conducted for children and young people. Through digital skills development sessions, specific training for youth, and content co-creation activities, children and young people have been able to enhance their understanding of online risks and acquire the necessary skills to effectively protect themselves.
- New innovative products to help keep children and young people safe online, including an online game, ‘Sango’s Adventures: discover online safety’ with 4,500 users globally, designed to teach children from 9 to 12 years old all they need to know about online safety. An app, ‘AskMe, your online safety friend’, with 9,000 users globally, was designed to empower young people from 13 to 17 years old with the knowledge and skills necessary to safely navigate the online world. By participating in the creation of educational materials, such as Sango’s Adventures Game and the AskMe app, children and young people have also developed a sense of ownership and engagement towards online protection, thereby strengthening their resilience against online threats. Through this participatory approach, young individuals contributed their perspectives and insights, resulting in educational resources that resonate with their experiences and concerns.
- Child taskforces informed the development of national policy processes related to child online protection in different countries in the Africa, the Americas, the Arab and the Asia-Pacific regions.
More updates on this impactful partnership will be shared in 2025.
Learn more about ITU Development’s work on Child Online Protection here.
This is an ITU Development #DigitalImpactUnlocked story
About the project
Project number: 9GLO21112
Project title: Creating a Safe and Prosperous Cyberspace for Children
Description: While supporting and promoting children’s rights, the online environment may expose children to risks and harms online and offline. And with more and more children coming online for the first time, the wider and more easily available access to the Internet and mobile technologies raises also significant challenges to online and offline safety, ranging from threats to personal data and privacy, to harassment and cyber bullying, harmful online content, grooming for sexual purposes, sexual abuse, and exploitation.
The global challenge of child online protection requires a global response, international cooperation, and national coordination, to reduce the risks of the digital revolution and build confidence in the use of ICTs.
Visit the project page for more details.
