UN urges child online safety

The United Nations, through its rights chief Volker Türk, has called for urgent global action to protect children online, emphasizing that online harms are a direct result of business practices and design choices by tech companies. The UN rights office has issued 10 guidelines, 'Getting Children's Safety Online Right', which advocate for better design, data protection, regulation, oversight, and accountability. These guidelines suggest measures like ensuring maximum protection of children's data by default and prohibiting 'micro-targeting' of children for commercial purposes. This call comes as countries like Australia and Indonesia have already implemented bans or restrictions on social media access for children under 16, with several European countries considering similar actions. The Academy of Medical Royal Colleges in the United Kingdom has also reported a 'wave of radicalised children' due to harmful online content. Peggy Hicks of the UN human rights office warned that tech companies must either proactively change their platforms to protect children or face increasingly restrictive legislation, jury verdicts, and regulatory fines. The issue may also be discussed at the upcoming G7 summit, highlighting its international importance.