Digital economy
Children in the digital environment
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Children today spend an increasing part of their lives online: since 2011, the number of 12- to 15-year-olds who own smartphones has increased by more than 50%. The digital environment offers tremendous benefits to children, opening new channels for education, creativity and social interaction. But it also presents serious risks, including cyberbullying, sextortion and risks to privacy. These risks have become particularly acute amid the COVID-19 crisis and the surge in screen time it has precipitated. The OECD Recommendation on Children in the Digital Environment, adopted in May 2021, aims to help countries to find a balance between protecting children from online risks, and promoting the opportunities and benefits that the digital world provides. The Recommendation sets out principles for promoting a safe and beneficial digital environment for children, recommendations on overarching policy frameworks, and highlights the importance of international co-operation.
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High-level launch of the oecd recommendation on children in the digital environment
This webinar on 18 November 2021 considered how governments can take action to ensure a safe and beneficial digital environment for children, and provided an opportunity to discuss developments and best policy practices with stakeholders. Additionally, it highlighted two key issues that are considered in the Recommendation: i) children’s privacy and data online; and ii) the role of stakeholders for ensuring a safe and beneficial digital environment for children.
Agenda
Further reading
- Companion document to the OECD Recommendation on Children in the Digital Environment
- A January 2021 OECD digital economy paper provides a revised typology of risks for children in the digital environment.
- An August 2020 brief on combatting COVID-19's effect on children includes a section on the pandemic's many implications for children in the digital environment.
- A June 2020 OECD digital economy paper provides an overview of recent developments in legal frameworks and policies for protecting children online.
- A February 2020 policy note on growing up online also looks at how policies should address the needs of children in today's digital world.
- We highlighted work to update the 2012 OECD Recommendation on the Protection of Children Online and considered some of the policy and legislative avenues countries take to protect children online and promote positive online use in a chapter of the publication Educating 21st Century Children: Emotional Well-being in the Digital Age (October 2019).
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