15.5 Child Online Protection
As the Internet permeates every aspect of the economy and society, it is also becoming an essential
element of our children’s lives. While it can bring considerable benefits for their education and
development, it also exposes them to online risks such as access to inappropriate content, harmful
interactions with other children or with adults, and exposure to aggressive marketing practices.
Children online can also put their computer systems at risk and disseminate their personal data
without understanding the potential long-term privacy consequences. For the purpose of this policy:
(a)
(b)
(c)
“Children” encompass every human being below the age of eighteen years, recognising that
a lower age threshold might be appropriate in providing certain legal protections; “parents”
encompass children’s parents and carers;
The “protection of children online” encompasses content risks, contact risks, risks related to
children as consumers as well as information security and privacy risks faced by children on
the Internet;
Stakeholders” encompass governments, businesses, civil society and the Internet community
and other entities involved in maintaining a safe Internet and educating children.
15.5.1 Principles of Child Online Protection
(a)
Policies to protect children online should recognise that all stakeholders share responsibility
both to make a safer online environment for children by reducing online threats to children,
and to support the primary role of parents in evaluating and minimising risks of harm to their
children online as well as offline;
(b)
Policies to protect children online should empower children and parents to evaluate and
minimise risks and engage online in a secure, safe and responsible manner;
(c)
Policies to protect children online should be proportionate to the risks, effective and balanced.
They should maximise the protection against online risks faced by children without restricting
the opportunities and benefits of the Internet for children as well as for other users;
(d)
Policies to protect children online should not undermine the framework conditions that
enable the Internet to operate as a global open platform for communication, innovation,
economic growth, and social progress. The consistency of policies designed to protect children
online with other economic and social Internet policies should be carefully assessed prior to
adoption and implementation;
(e)
Policies to protect children online should be consistent with fundamental values of democratic
societies as they apply to all individuals including children. In particular, they should support
freedom of expression, privacy protection and the free flow of information;
(f)
Policies to protect children online should be age-appropriate and accommodate
developmental differences and special vulnerabilities. Where age-based restrictions are
established, all stakeholders should strive to ensure that such restrictions are respected;
(g)
Policies to protect children online should be technology neutral to ensure their sustainability
in a dynamic environment characterised by rapidly evolving technologies and patterns of
usage.
15.5.2 Child Online Protection Strategies
(a)
Develop a legislative framework that embraces CoP comprehensively through a practical
multilateral, multi-stakeholder approach (Policy, Law, Technical, Education, Awareness);
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