Armenia hosts high- level policy dialogue on child online safety, highlighting new national evidence and partnerships

YEREVAN, 2 March 2026 - Senior government officials, UNICEF representatives, experts, and civil society partners convened today in Yerevan for a high-level policy dialogue titled “From Evidence to Action: A Policy Dialogue on Child Online Safety in Armenia.” The event brought together national stakeholders to discuss the latest research on online risks faced by children in Armenia and to identify priority policy actions to strengthen national child online safety systems.

The dialogue built on Armenia’s recent momentum in advancing online safety reforms, including the launch of the country’s first-ever national study on technology-facilitated child sexual exploitation and abuse and a new partnership to strengthen children’s online safety by the Ministries of High Tech Industry and Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport, supported by Izmirlian Foundation and UNICEF.

During the policy dialogue, UNICEF Armenia shared findings from two major studies:

• Disrupting Harm in Armenia, 2025 – a nationally grounded project funded by Safe Online and implemented by UNICEF Innocenti, INTERPOL, and ECPAT International. The study analyses the scale, nature, and drivers of technology-facilitated sexual exploitation and abuse of children and provides targeted policy recommendations. The results show that 1 in 20 children aged 12 to 17 who use the internet in Armenia experienced tech-facilitated sexual exploitation and abuse online - in just one year. 71% of cases happened entirely online through social media and messaging platforms. More than half of the victims never told anyone.
• Kids Online: Risks and Opportunities – a qualitative study funded by the UK Government and commissioned by UNICEF Armenia. The research captures children’s firsthand experiences, highlighting both online risks and the opportunities digital environments provide for learning, creativity, and social participation.

“Today's children and adolescents are growing up with digital technology as part of their daily lives - it's where they access information, maintain friendships, and express creativity. Research shows that their access to social media is rather widespread and largely unsupervised. While a lot of effort has been made, a lot still needs to be done to ensure children are safe online. To this end, UNICEF will continue to support the work on legislation, policies, standards and capacities, bringing together child rights perspectives with specialized technical expertise and international best practice,” noted Silvia Mestroni, Acting UNICEF Representative in Armenia.

Opening remarks were also delivered by Gevorg Mantashyan, First Deputy Minister of High-Tech Industry and by Araksia Svajyan, Deputy Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport. Deputy Ministers reaffirmed Armenia’s commitment to strengthening national frameworks to protect children in the digital environment.

"The Ministry places strong importance on children’s digital protection and safety in the virtual environment. Today’s digital landscape is significantly transforming the way information is perceived, the speed of response, and children’s behavioral patterns. In this context, the role of the State is not limited to ensuring access to technology, but also to shaping safe and responsible practices for its use," noted Gevorg Mantashyan, First Deputy Minister of High-Tech Industry. "Meaningful results cannot be achieved through restrictions alone. It is essential to combine sustained efforts with parents, educators and specialists in order to foster conscious and responsible digital behavior among children. Technologies should serve as tools for development and education, rather than becoming sources of distraction or harm."

“In the era of new technologies, when cameras are everywhere, the issue of children’s safety remains highly relevant, and there is a strong imperative to keep children at the forefront of our attention. The data presented in the research are concerning, and we must be able to identify appropriate approaches to reducing risks and ensuring children’s online safety," noted  Araksia Svajyan Deputy Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sports.

A dedicated policy session emphasized the importance of coordinated reforms, enhanced reporting mechanisms, and capacity building across education, justice, and technology sectors. The event concluded with a facilitated policy dialogue on priority reforms, implementation challenges, and practical steps needed to translate evidence into action.

Participants agreed on several next steps, including:

• Strengthening interagency cooperation on child online safety
• Expanding awareness-raising and digital literacy initiatives
• Improving national protection and reporting systems
• Integrating evidence from recent studies into ongoing legislative and policy processes.