New frontiers in child labour
Why digital risks demand urgent attention
Highlights
Digital technologies are reshaping both economies and childhoods in ways that challenge traditional child labour frameworks. While connectivity expands opportunities for learning and expression, it also restructures labour markets and introduces new, often hidden, forms of child labour in relation to the digital environment (or ‘digital child labour’ for short).
Such activities are difficult to detect, transnational in nature, and largely absent from national labour statistics and inspection mandates. As the digital landscape evolves, so too must regulatory frameworks and practices to uphold children’s rights and ensure responsible business conduct in the digital environment.
The brief offers a rapid overview of emerging risks and priority considerations, prepared for discussion at the Sixth Global Conference on the Elimination of Child Labour in February 2026.
