The world as we know it is rapidly evolving. Every half second a child makes their first click online and one in three internet users is now under the age of 18. Read from our expert Rebecca Smith on what Netflix’s Adolescence tells us about children’s online safety, the risks to children online and what we can do about it.
PLEASE NOTE: All images in this blog are from Save the Children programmes and are not connected to the Adolescence TV series.
As a parent, my first reaction to watching the Netflix series Adolescence was, “I need to talk to my kids.” Working within a global team focused on protecting children, I know I’m not alone as my colleagues spread from Nigeria to Australia had the exact same response, what’s happening to our children and how can we keep them safe?
WHAT ARE THE RISKS TO CHILDREN ONLINE?
The world as we know it is rapidly evolving. Every half second a child makes their first click online and one in three internet users is now under the age of 18. We are particularly concerned about the spread of misogynistic views which promote violence against women and girls and the algorithms that may reinforce and promote increasingly harmful content which the programme Adolescence so powerfully highlights.
Laws, policies and school curriculums are not keeping pace with the risks that rapidly evolving technologies pose to children. Despite children being much more able to adapt than adults, the gap between safety security and reality leaves many without the skills needed to navigate potential harm. Children all over the world are aware of the dangers to children and are worried about the impact. A 16-year-old from Romania who is also a member of the Save the Children European Child Advisory Board said:
Children who are vulnerable in real life are even more at risk online, especially when they come from situations where many resources are lacking. They often look for things to fill those gaps…Without proper legal protections, these children can be taken advantage of more easily due to the lack of regulations in place. Legal frameworks are definitely one of the key issues here.
Gilbert and his granddaughter Aileen look at photos of the damage that her school sustained in the recent Vanuatu earthquakes. Gaelle Meheut/Save the Children Vanuatu
The internet wasn’t built with children in mind. Digital technologies bring huge benefits, providing new and diverse ways for children to learn, play, explore interests, create friendships, and influence change; but the internet and the platforms they visit weren’t built for them. This puts them at risk of harmful unregulated content as well as exploitation and coercion due to the lack of preventative safeguards.
To tackle these risks, Save the Children sees four critical actions that governments, schools, technology companies and parents can take to address the whole system and ensure children are safe online.
1. REGULATION BASED ON EVIDENCE
If we are serious about ending violence against children, we need to protect them on and offline. Our study on online grooming last year with Western Sydney University with children across 7 countries (including Australia, Cambodia, Colombia, Finland, Kenya, Philippines, and South Africa) found that two-thirds of children interact daily with strangers online. Children are intrinsically social beings and feel confident and cautious in navigating online communication with strangers but they often don’t believe the adults in their lives will know how to support them when they need help and advice. Digital environments must be age-appropriate and accommodating the unique needs and vulnerabilities of children. A 12-year-old girl from urban Australia said:
People should be kept safe when interacting with strangers online, because one message, video or post can have a great impact on a child’s mind. As you know many young children are getting assaulted online and many of the children can’t stand up for themselves, so here I am standing up for all those kids who got assaulted.
Save the Children welcomes efforts by states to ensure children are protected from online harms and providing clear regulation. A digital technology platform’s responsibility extends beyond mere compliance with legal requirements. It must proactively ensure robust monitoring through AI and human moderation systems to detect, prevent and respond to all forms of exploitation and abuse. This includes addressing algorithmic bias more proactively and locally, and recognising the complex, nuanced demands effective content moderation needs to better protect all users, especially children.
However, we also recognise that children can benefit a great deal from supported and safe digital technology use and that blanket bans on technology simply don’t work.
Hiba*, 23, and Rama*, 19, take a selfie together in Zaatari Refugee Camp, Jordan.
2. CHALLENGE OUR ASSUMPTIONS & INVEST IN WHAT WORKS
We need to build on what we know works to end violence against children and be brave in identifying gaps in research: This issue is emotive, and people want to act fast, while ensuring that policies and programming match the evidence of what works. Save the Children encourages collaboration between academics, technology companies and practitioners from all over the world to work with children to build on existing evidence, test our assumptions and continue to fill evidence gaps, particularly in the global south and those countries where digital access has ‘switched’ on overnight with no accompanying education or oversight.
While there are dangers in online spaces, supporting children to navigate these spaces safely is key. In the same way that you wouldn’t allow a teenager to drive, without first having lessons and practising, we need to work together to equip children and their caregivers with an expertise in digital citizenship, designed with and for children.
3. LISTEN & ENGAGE CHILDREN
Solutions need to be created with and for children: The Netflix programme made it very apparent how much more children know about digital technology than adults, and what’s happening in online spaces. The responsibility to prevent online risks is shared between governments, diverse technology companies, educators, caregivers, social workers, citizens, and children. Schools need to support appropriate use and limits on digital technology, both inside and outside the classroom. Technology companies must embed safety by design principles across their platforms, ensuring children and young people are heard and able to meaningfully influence change and flag harmful content. Adults need to work with children to design programmes and policies and advocate for effective change. Children need to be informed about the decisions adults make for them and be empowered to advocate. Save the Children has a long history of working with powerful child advocates who are demanding change on the issues that impact them most.
Ivan*, 17, left Ukraine for Italy with his family after the conflict escalated. During his spare time, Ivan* enjoys computer-related hobbies like watching videos online and playing games. Although Ivan* feels settled in Rome, he misses his hometown. Save the Children Italy helped Ivan* and his family by providing psychosocial support and guidance in identifying the appropriate school for Ivan. Notion Film and Animation Studio / Save the Children
4. EDUCATION & RESPONSE
Connecting on and offline services and support: Save the Children urges technology companies to continue collaborating with law enforcement and child protection agencies to report, investigate and prosecute any cases of exploitation and abuse. Governments should invest in digital literacy and citizenship programmes for children and trusted adults. Parents and teachers don’t need all the answers, but they do need to know how to actively and meaningfully engage with their children and where to go for help. Teachers can teach about consent, respectful online behaviour, harassment, and issues related to viewing or sharing nude or sexually explicit images as well as emphasising positive self and body image. Teachers, parents and community members need to nurture children’s self-worth and sense of security which will also make them less dependent on online validation.
In addition, teenagers most frequently seek help from other teenagers. We need to do more to support peer-to-peer learning and referrals. Hotlines and help lines work, but only when they have the right staffing, competencies to speak with children in meaningful, non-judgemental ways, with referral mechanisms to follow up.
Effectively protecting children online requires a whole system approach. We know that blanket bans are ineffective, but we also know what really works to keep children safe online and offline. We all have a role to play and together, with and for children, we can support a safe digital childhood.
