The Internet has changed the way children learn, interact, communicate and even play with each other. In the past, these activities used to take place in contained physical spaces mostly under adult supervision such as libraries, classrooms and playgrounds. They now take place in virtual realities that connect the entire world in real-time. This technical revolution provides opportunities to make rewarding social connections for children and adolescents who have difficulty developing friendships in traditional social settings or because of limited contact with same-aged peers.
New services such as blogs, Wikipedia, My Space, You Tube, Facebook, Twitter and online games have increased the Internet’s connectivity, encouraging social networking and allowing surfers to create their own content. This provides a variety of positive opportunities for participation, creativity and education.
Along with the profound benefits of the Internet come certain risks. Children and young people can face a number of dangers when using ICTs, such as exposure to inappropriate content, violation of their privacy, among others. Simultaneously with the increase of access to the Internet, child rights violations have migrated to the online world and have evolved to adapt to new forms of interactions. These risks now include new forms and even new terminologies, such as cyber bullying and grooming.
CYBER BULLYING
Cyber Bullying is using the Internet, cell phones, video game systems, or other technology to send or post text or images intended to hurt or embarrass another person. Cyber bullying examples include mean text messages or emails, rumors sent by email or posted on social networking sites, and embarrassing pictures, videos, websites, or fake profiles. Just as the most traditional forms of violence against children, cyber bullying causes emotional distress, physical and mental health problems. Recent research also suggests that youth who are victimized electronically are also very likely to also be victimized off-line. A 2013 study found that in the U.S., 15 per cent of high school students (grades 9-12) were electronically bullied.
ONLINE GROOMING
Online grooming is the process by which an individual befriends a young person for online sexual contact, sometimes with the involvement of webcams that can allow ‘sharing’ of the exploitation among networks of child sex abusers, and sometimes extending to a physical meeting to commit sexual abuse.
A survey of young people across the UK aged 11-16 revealed that:
- 42 per cent had received electronic attachments from strangers;
- 37 per cent had added a stranger to their instant messaging and
- 35 per cent added a stranger to their social networking friends group.
In Russia, up to 40 per cent of children surveyed aged 9-16 reported meeting someone from the online world in real life.
Moreover, a UNICEF study in Indonesia found that
- 14 per cent of children interviewed had accessed online pornographic content at some time,
- while around 52 per cent had seen pornographic content – either in the form of text, image, photographs or videos – but only few opened the content deliberately
IN MONGOLIA
In Mongolia, the media landscape has shifted further towards digital, with most soum centres now connected to broadband Internet and nationwide 3G mobile coverage. Internet is now the second most consumed media after TV in both urban and rural areas.
As of 2012, 14 per cent of households had internet access at home and over 3.5 million people had mobile phone subscriptions. Facebook remains the dominant social media in Mongolia and 1,378,000 people use Facebook via mobile platforms, while 96 per cent of all Internet users also have a Facebook profile.
Children and young people are active and enthusiastic users of social media. Statistics show that 19.6 per cent of the Facebook users in Mongolia are children: aged 13-17 and 40 per cent are aged 18-24. In the last few years, the use of mobile phones by children has increased dramatically, and children are using their mobile phones to access the Internet virtually anywhere they go.
PROTECTING CHILDREN IN THE DIGITAL AGE
Within this global evolution of the technological landscape and identifying the risks children face online, UNICEF as a global leader in protecting children around the world, partnered with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the Child Online Protection Initiative to update the Guidelines for Industry on Child Online Protection in 2014. They provide guidance on protecting children’s rights online for those companies that develop, provide or make use of ICT. For instance, they include sector-specific checklists that recommend actions for various actors including: mobile operators, Internet service providers, content providers, and online retailers to name a few. Furthermore, the guidelines also provide guidance to companies on identifying ways in which they can advance children’s rights and facilitate responsible digital citizenship, learning, and civic participation.
When it comes to protecting children’s rights online, business must strike a careful balance between their rights to protection and freedom of expression. For example, companies must ensure that measures to protect children online are targeted and do not unduly restrict the enjoyment of freedom of expression and access to information for children and other users.
In addition, efforts to restrict children’s access to inappropriate content should take into account the generational technical divide – meaning that children of this generation use technology as second nature, while adults often struggle to navigate through online platforms. This divide means that parents or caregivers left to their own devices to set up filters for their children are often unable to do so, while children, in contrast, are savvy users who find it natural to bypass and disable these settings. In practical terms, the industry should ideally set up default protective settings when providing services to households with children or to children themselves.
Companies have and continue to make commitments to developing programs that promote child online protection. Facebook is taking vast strides to create a safer and age-appropriate online environment for children with the launch of its Bullying Prevention Centre, in collaboration with the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence. This site provides tips and tools for individuals being bullied, for their friends, parents and teachers and even for those accused of bullying.
Such companies are especially equipped to drive innovative solutions, creating digital platforms that can expand educational opportunities and enable children and young people both to engage in the civic life of their communities to become truly global citizens.
The Freedom Online Coalition conference to be held in Ulaanbaatar in May will gather heads of State, ministers, civil society and private sector representatives to discuss opportunities to strengthen the protection of fundamental freedoms and human rights under the theme “Internet Policy Making – Best Practices for Promoting Online Freedom.”
Mongolia, as the Coalition’s host and chair, as well as a recognized leader in multilateral diplomacy for the promotion of human rights, has a unique opportunity to position itself as an industry champion in child online protection by advancing advocacy efforts for the members of the Freedom Online Coalition to adopt the Guidelines for Industry on Child Online Protection. UNICEF Mongolia as part of its strong partnership with the Government of Mongolia to safeguard the rights of all children in the country looks forward to supporting these efforts that will help protect not only children in Mongolia but also children across the world.
The Internet has changed the way children learn, interact, communicate and even play with each other. In the past, these activities used to take place in contained physical spaces mostly under adult supervision such as libraries, classrooms and playgrounds. They now take place in virtual realities that connect the entire world in real-time. This technical revolution provides opportunities to make rewarding social connections for children and adolescents who have difficulty developing friendships in traditional social settings or because of limited contact with same-aged peers.
New services such as blogs, Wikipedia, My Space, You Tube, Facebook, Twitter and online games have increased the Internet’s connectivity, encouraging social networking and allowing surfers to create their own content. This provides a variety of positive opportunities for participation, creativity and education.
Along with the profound benefits of the Internet come certain risks. Children and young people can face a number of dangers when using ICTs, such as exposure to inappropriate content, violation of their privacy, among others. Simultaneously with the increase of access to the Internet, child rights violations have migrated to the online world and have evolved to adapt to new forms of interactions. These risks now include new forms and even new terminologies, such as cyber bullying and grooming.
CYBER BULLYING
Cyber Bullying is using the Internet, cell phones, video game systems, or other technology to send or post text or images intended to hurt or embarrass another person. Cyber bullying examples include mean text messages or emails, rumors sent by email or posted on social networking sites, and embarrassing pictures, videos, websites, or fake profiles. Just as the most traditional forms of violence against children, cyber bullying causes emotional distress, physical and mental health problems. Recent research also suggests that youth who are victimized electronically are also very likely to also be victimized off-line. A 2013 study found that in the U.S., 15 per cent of high school students (grades 9-12) were electronically bullied.
ONLINE GROOMING
Online grooming is the process by which an individual befriends a young person for online sexual contact, sometimes with the involvement of webcams that can allow ‘sharing’ of the exploitation among networks of child sex abusers, and sometimes extending to a physical meeting to commit sexual abuse.
A survey of young people across the UK aged 11-16 revealed that:
- 42 per cent had received electronic attachments from strangers;
- 37 per cent had added a stranger to their instant messaging and
- 35 per cent added a stranger to their social networking friends group.
In Russia, up to 40 per cent of children surveyed aged 9-16 reported meeting someone from the online world in real life.
Moreover, a UNICEF study in Indonesia found that
- 14 per cent of children interviewed had accessed online pornographic content at some time,
- while around 52 per cent had seen pornographic content – either in the form of text, image, photographs or videos – but only few opened the content deliberately
IN MONGOLIA
In Mongolia, the media landscape has shifted further towards digital, with most soum centres now connected to broadband Internet and nationwide 3G mobile coverage. Internet is now the second most consumed media after TV in both urban and rural areas.
As of 2012, 14 per cent of households had internet access at home and over 3.5 million people had mobile phone subscriptions. Facebook remains the dominant social media in Mongolia and 1,378,000 people use Facebook via mobile platforms, while 96 per cent of all Internet users also have a Facebook profile.
Children and young people are active and enthusiastic users of social media. Statistics show that 19.6 per cent of the Facebook users in Mongolia are children: aged 13-17 and 40 per cent are aged 18-24. In the last few years, the use of mobile phones by children has increased dramatically, and children are using their mobile phones to access the Internet virtually anywhere they go.
PROTECTING CHILDREN IN THE DIGITAL AGE
Within this global evolution of the technological landscape and identifying the risks children face online, UNICEF as a global leader in protecting children around the world, partnered with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the Child Online Protection Initiative to update the Guidelines for Industry on Child Online Protection in 2014. They provide guidance on protecting children’s rights online for those companies that develop, provide or make use of ICT. For instance, they include sector-specific checklists that recommend actions for various actors including: mobile operators, Internet service providers, content providers, and online retailers to name a few. Furthermore, the guidelines also provide guidance to companies on identifying ways in which they can advance children’s rights and facilitate responsible digital citizenship, learning, and civic participation.
When it comes to protecting children’s rights online, business must strike a careful balance between their rights to protection and freedom of expression. For example, companies must ensure that measures to protect children online are targeted and do not unduly restrict the enjoyment of freedom of expression and access to information for children and other users.
In addition, efforts to restrict children’s access to inappropriate content should take into account the generational technical divide – meaning that children of this generation use technology as second nature, while adults often struggle to navigate through online platforms. This divide means that parents or caregivers left to their own devices to set up filters for their children are often unable to do so, while children, in contrast, are savvy users who find it natural to bypass and disable these settings. In practical terms, the industry should ideally set up default protective settings when providing services to households with children or to children themselves.
Companies have and continue to make commitments to developing programs that promote child online protection. Facebook is taking vast strides to create a safer and age-appropriate online environment for children with the launch of its Bullying Prevention Centre, in collaboration with the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence. This site provides tips and tools for individuals being bullied, for their friends, parents and teachers and even for those accused of bullying.
Such companies are especially equipped to drive innovative solutions, creating digital platforms that can expand educational opportunities and enable children and young people both to engage in the civic life of their communities to become truly global citizens.
The Freedom Online Coalition conference to be held in Ulaanbaatar in May will gather heads of State, ministers, civil society and private sector representatives to discuss opportunities to strengthen the protection of fundamental freedoms and human rights under the theme “Internet Policy Making – Best Practices for Promoting Online Freedom.”
Mongolia, as the Coalition’s host and chair, as well as a recognized leader in multilateral diplomacy for the promotion of human rights, has a unique opportunity to position itself as an industry champion in child online protection by advancing advocacy efforts for the members of the Freedom Online Coalition to adopt the Guidelines for Industry on Child Online Protection. UNICEF Mongolia as part of its strong partnership with the Government of Mongolia to safeguard the rights of all children in the country looks forward to supporting these efforts that will help protect not only children in Mongolia but also children across the world.