UN Committee report on digital media and children's rights

Date: 8th May 2015
Category: Awareness-raising

The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child has published a report of the 2014 Day of General Discussion on Digital Media and Children's Rights, which includes specific recommendations.

The Committee on the Rights of the Child is the body of independent experts responsible for reviewing progress made by States parties in implementing the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). During its 65th session (13 - 31 January 2014) the Committee decided to devote its 2014 Day of General Discussion (DGD) to "Digital media and children's rights".

The purpose of the Days of General Discussion is to foster a deeper understanding of the contents and implications of the Convention as they relate to specific articles or topics.

The objective of the 2014 DGD was to better understand the effects of children's engagement with social media as well as information and communications technologies (ICT), in order to understand the impact on and role of children's rights in this area, and develop rights-based strategies to maximize the online opportunities for children while protecting them from risks and possible harm.

The final report states: "All children should be able to safely access ICTs and digital media, and be empowered to fully participate, express themselves, seek information and enjoy all the rights enshrined in the Convention on the Rights of the Child and its Optional Protocols without discrimination of any kind."