UNICEF: increase online access to benefit the most disadvantaged while making the digital world safer for children

Providing all children and youths with affordable high-quality online resources was a key message at the launch of the UNICEF global flagship State of the World’s Children 2017 report.

Children in a digital world, the report presents UNICEF’s first comprehensive look at the different ways digital technology is affecting children’s lives and life chances, identifying dangers as well as opportunities. It argues that governments and the private sector have not kept up with the pace of change, exposing children to new risks and harms and leaving millions of the most disadvantaged children behind. 

The global report was launched by UNICEF and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in an event that gathered national government partners, media, young people, NGOs, academia, diplomatic missions and international organizations.

“We commend the Government of Turkmenistan’s willingness to invest into the universal Internet access that will lead to digital transformation leading to over-all growth and knowledge economy in years to come. In a digital world, our dual challenge is how to mitigate the harms while maximizing the gains of the responsible internet access for every child,” said UNICEF Representative, Shaheen Nilofer.  

The report explores the benefits digital technology can offer the most disadvantaged children, including those growing up in poverty or affected by humanitarian emergencies. These include increasing their access to information, building skills for the digital workplace, and giving them a platform to connect and communicate their views.

But the report shows that millions of children are missing out. Around one third of the world’s youth – 346 million – are not online, exacerbating inequities and reducing children’s ability to participate in an increasingly digital economy.

The report also examines how the internet increases children’s vulnerability to risks and harms, including misuse of their private information, access to harmful content, and cyberbullying. The ubiquitous presence of mobile devices, the report notes, has made online access for many children less supervised – and potentially more dangerous.

The report presents current data and analysis about children’s online usage and the impact of digital technology on children’s wellbeing, exploring growing debates about digital “addiction” and the possible effect of screen time on brain development.

Only collective action – by governments, the private sector, children’s organizations, academia, families and children themselves – can help level the digital playing field and make the internet safer and more accessible for children, the report says.

Practical recommendations to help guide more effective policymaking and more responsible business practices to benefit children include:

• Provide all children with affordable access to high-quality online resources.
• Protect children from harm online – including abuse, exploitation, trafficking, cyberbullying and exposure to unsuitable materials.
• Safeguard children’s privacy and identities online.
• Teach digital literacy to keep children informed, engaged and safe online.
• Leverage the power of the private sector to advance ethical standards and practices that protect and benefit children online.
• Put children at the centre of digital policy.

“The Internet accompanies modern youth everywhere: in communication, leisure, studies, all aspects of everyday life. And we, the younger generation, also want to contribute to the development of the Internet in our country,” said young people from Turkmenistan universities at the launch of the report.