UN urges ‘urgent’ action to protect children online

Call to governments and tech companies comes amid a global push for greater accountability and oversight of social media platforms.The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has called for urgent action to protect children online, demanding it be made a “priority”.In a statement released on Friday, Volker Turk called for stronger action by governments and tech companies to make online platforms safer.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4US-Iran 60-day proposal: What we knowlist 2 of 4WHO chief visits DRC amidst Ebola crisislist 3 of 4‘Dangerous colonial occupation’: Israel’s digital West Bank land registerlist 4 of 4Australian court sets August date for ‘mushroom murderer’ appeal hearingend of list“Enhancing protection of children online is an urgent priority,” he insisted.The call comes amid a global push for greater accountability and oversight of social media platforms, with countries testing age-based bans and stricter regulations, and pressure growing on technology companies.Alongside the statement, the UN human rights office released a set of guidelines aimed at improving children’s safety online and protecting their rights through stronger regulation.The measures include safeguards around age verification processes, mandatory child rights impact assessments, and involving children in shaping regulatory responses.“We need much wider action – by governments and companies – to ensure that the platforms themselves are made safer by design, that data is protected, that those responsible for harm can be held to account, and that children’s rights and needs are fully respected throughout,” Turk said.“Whatever regulations are adopted, it is essential to avoid inadvertently causing further harms. For example, age verification done wrong can both fail at its goal and endanger the privacy of both kids and adults,” he added.Turk added that regulations focused only on the age of users risk leaving unchanged the design choices and algorithmic practices that make platforms unsafe in the first place.