CHILD ONLINE SAFETY TOOLKIT
5RIGHTS
TEN POLICY ACTION AREAS
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Education
States parties should provide and support the creation of age-appropriate and empowering digital content for children in accordance with children’s evolving capacities and ensure that children have access to a wide diversity of information, including information held by public bodies, about culture, sports, the arts, health, civil and political affairs and children’s rights. States parties should encourage the production and dissemination of such content using multiple formats and from a plurality of national and international sources, including news media, broadcasters, museums, libraries and educational, scientific and cultural organizations. They should particularly endeavour to enhance the provision of diverse, accessible and beneficial content for children with disabilities and children belonging to ethnic, linguistic, indigenous and other minority groups. The ability to access relevant information, in the languages that children understand, can have a significant positive impact on equality. Source: General comment No. 25 (2021) paras 51 and 52231
Objective: To promote the positive use of digital technology as a source of entertainment, information and learning for children in a safe environment. Model policy text: To ensure a holistic approach to child online safety, each of the steps below is necessary. 7a. Designate child protection leads Each school is to designate a child protection lead.232 Each lead is to be provided with training on child protection procedures and child online safety-specific training. Leads will be responsible for ensuring that child online safety policies (including safeguarding procedures and anonymous reporting systems) are adopted, enacted and enforced in schools. The child protection lead will be the point of contact for concerns relating to child protection and child online safety, and will pass on reported harms to the relevant authorities. Leads should also facilitate intervention plans, to protect children against the full range of harms. 7b. Promote accessible digital education Promote content, including peer-to-peer programmes, that are designed and shown to help children develop digital skills and empower children to build respectful communities that support child online safety. Digital education should be holistic and should cover data and media literacy, alongside safeguarding issues – in particular issues of sexuality and consent. Education should also be extended to parents/carers to support their role in promoting child online safety.
231. General comment No. 25 (2021) on Children’s Rights in Relation to the Digital Environment, United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child, 2021. 232. This could be someone from a school safety committee, an educator or it could be someone in a village or community child protection committee where schools are represented.
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