{"id":26679,"date":"2025-02-14T11:22:44","date_gmt":"2025-02-14T03:22:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.crcasia.org\/?p=26679"},"modified":"2025-02-14T11:22:44","modified_gmt":"2025-02-14T03:22:44","slug":"it-starts-with-us-building-a-safer-digital-world-for-and-with-children","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.crcasia.org\/it-starts-with-us-building-a-safer-digital-world-for-and-with-children\/","title":{"rendered":"It Starts with Us: Building a Safer Digital World for and with Children"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Amihan Abueva<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

As digital technology becomes more woven into the fabric of our daily lives, it has reshaped how children learn, connect, and express themselves. This evolution has opened up new horizons for creativity, education, and advocacy. But it has also exposed children to unprecedented risks, including online exploitation, misinformation, and breaches of privacy.<\/span><\/p>\n

Recent data is alarming: one in eight children globally \u2013 approximately 302 million \u2013 have been victims of the non-consensual sharing, exposure, or creation of sexual images and videos within the past year alone. This underscores the urgency for a collective response to safeguard children in the digital age.<\/span><\/p>\n

Digital Rights are Children\u2019s Rights<\/b><\/p>\n

During our recent Regional Children\u2019s Meeting, 35 young delegates from 16 countries across Asia spoke passionately about how digitalization, including generative AI, has reshaped their lives. They shared how AI supports their education\u2014helping them code, spark essay ideas, and create study plans. AI also empowers their advocacy efforts by enabling content creation, translation, and message verification. Beyond academics, AI sparks creativity and leisure as children generate digital content, communicate in fun ways with friends and family, and even plan travel adventures.<\/span><\/p>\n

However, these digital opportunities come with risks. Children voiced concerns about misinformation, cyberbullying, and privacy breaches. They highlighted the emerging threats of deepfakes and AI-generated content, particularly during elections, and expressed fears about the digital divide excluding poor and disabled children from accessing new technologies.<\/span><\/p>\n

Empowering Families and Educators<\/b><\/p>\n

Parents and educators play a pivotal role in guiding children through the digital landscape. Conversations about online safety should start early and be as routine as talks about crossing the street safely. Children need to learn how to protect their personal information, identify harmful content, and navigate the online world respectfully and responsibly.<\/span><\/p>\n

Our discussions with children also revealed their concerns about sharenting\u2014the practice of parents sharing information about their children online. While it can be a way to connect and document childhood milestones, children raised questions about privacy and consent. Kid influencers, or “kidfluencers,” present a similar duality: while offering opportunities for entrepreneurship and self-expression, they also pose risks related to exploitation and mental health.<\/span><\/p>\n

Children as Co-Creators of Solutions<\/b><\/p>\n

That is why the voices of children must be at the heart of efforts to create a safer internet. Too often, policies are designed without consulting those most affected by them. When we listen to children and involve them in co-creating solutions, interventions become more relevant and effective.<\/span><\/p>\n

Children want transparency from tech companies about data use, stronger content moderation, and accessible reporting mechanisms in diverse languages. They are also increasingly aware of the environmental impact of AI and call for accountability from companies regarding energy consumption.<\/span><\/p>\n

Together for a Better Internet<\/b><\/p>\n

Building a safer digital world is a shared responsibility. Governments, tech companies, civil society, educators, parents, and children themselves all have a role to play. Internet governance must recognize the interconnectedness of online and offline realities, promoting human rights education and culturally sensitive digital literacy interventions.<\/span><\/p>\n

As we reflect on the challenges and opportunities of our digital world, let us commit to making it a safer space for every child. And it starts with all of us\u2014educating ourselves, amplifying children\u2019s voices, and advocating for policies that prioritize their rights and safety.<\/span><\/p>\n

Together, indeed, for a better, safer digital environment \u2013 for and with children.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Amihan Abueva As digital technology becomes more woven into the fabric of our daily lives, it has reshaped how children learn, connect, and express themselves. This evolution has opened up new horizons for creativity, education, and advocacy. But it has also exposed children to unprecedented risks, including online exploitation, misinformation, and breaches of privacy….<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":26680,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-26679","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latest"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nIt Starts with Us: Building a Safer Digital World for and with Children - Child Rights Coalition Asia<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.crcasia.org\/it-starts-with-us-building-a-safer-digital-world-for-and-with-children\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"It Starts with Us: Building a Safer Digital World for and with Children - Child Rights Coalition Asia\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Amihan Abueva As digital technology becomes more woven into the fabric of our daily lives, it has reshaped how children learn, connect, and express themselves. This evolution has opened up new horizons for creativity, education, and advocacy. But it has also exposed children to unprecedented risks, including online exploitation, misinformation, and breaches of privacy....\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.crcasia.org\/it-starts-with-us-building-a-safer-digital-world-for-and-with-children\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Child Rights Coalition Asia\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/crcasia\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-02-14T03:22:44+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.crcasia.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/It-Starts-with-Us-CRCAsia.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2659\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"984\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"crc_admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@CRCAsia\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@CRCAsia\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"crc_admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.crcasia.org\/it-starts-with-us-building-a-safer-digital-world-for-and-with-children\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.crcasia.org\/it-starts-with-us-building-a-safer-digital-world-for-and-with-children\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"crc_admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.crcasia.org\/#\/schema\/person\/d6f1a6c227f55b62b0b78523617f6ffa\"},\"headline\":\"It Starts with Us: Building a Safer Digital World for and with Children\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-02-14T03:22:44+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.crcasia.org\/it-starts-with-us-building-a-safer-digital-world-for-and-with-children\/\"},\"wordCount\":569,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.crcasia.org\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.crcasia.org\/it-starts-with-us-building-a-safer-digital-world-for-and-with-children\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.crcasia.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/It-Starts-with-Us-CRCAsia.png\",\"articleSection\":[\"Latest\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.crcasia.org\/it-starts-with-us-building-a-safer-digital-world-for-and-with-children\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.crcasia.org\/it-starts-with-us-building-a-safer-digital-world-for-and-with-children\/\",\"name\":\"It Starts with Us: Building a Safer Digital World for and with Children - Child Rights Coalition Asia\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.crcasia.org\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.crcasia.org\/it-starts-with-us-building-a-safer-digital-world-for-and-with-children\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.crcasia.org\/it-starts-with-us-building-a-safer-digital-world-for-and-with-children\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.crcasia.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/It-Starts-with-Us-CRCAsia.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-02-14T03:22:44+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.crcasia.org\/it-starts-with-us-building-a-safer-digital-world-for-and-with-children\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.crcasia.org\/it-starts-with-us-building-a-safer-digital-world-for-and-with-children\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.crcasia.org\/it-starts-with-us-building-a-safer-digital-world-for-and-with-children\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.crcasia.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/It-Starts-with-Us-CRCAsia.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.crcasia.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/It-Starts-with-Us-CRCAsia.png\",\"width\":2659,\"height\":984},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.crcasia.org\/it-starts-with-us-building-a-safer-digital-world-for-and-with-children\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.crcasia.org\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"It Starts with Us: Building a Safer Digital World for and with Children\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.crcasia.org\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.crcasia.org\/\",\"name\":\"Child Rights Coalition Asia\",\"description\":\"Child Rights Coalition Asia (CRC Asia) is a regional network of child rights and human rights organizations working together to be a strong voice for child rights in the region.\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.crcasia.org\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.crcasia.org\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.crcasia.org\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Child Rights Coalition Asia\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.crcasia.org\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.crcasia.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.crcasia.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/CRCAsaia-Logo-Black.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.crcasia.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/CRCAsaia-Logo-Black.png\",\"width\":295,\"height\":75,\"caption\":\"Child Rights Coalition Asia\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.crcasia.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/crcasia\/\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/CRCAsia\",\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UC4bA8__CzxNl3CFCOIw2SQw\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.crcasia.org\/#\/schema\/person\/d6f1a6c227f55b62b0b78523617f6ffa\",\"name\":\"crc_admin\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.crcasia.org\/author\/crc_admin\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"It Starts with Us: Building a Safer Digital World for and with Children - Child Rights Coalition Asia","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.crcasia.org\/it-starts-with-us-building-a-safer-digital-world-for-and-with-children\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"It Starts with Us: Building a Safer Digital World for and with Children - Child Rights Coalition Asia","og_description":"By Amihan Abueva As digital technology becomes more woven into the fabric of our daily lives, it has reshaped how children learn, connect, and express themselves. This evolution has opened up new horizons for creativity, education, and advocacy. But it has also exposed children to unprecedented risks, including online exploitation, misinformation, and breaches of privacy....","og_url":"https:\/\/www.crcasia.org\/it-starts-with-us-building-a-safer-digital-world-for-and-with-children\/","og_site_name":"Child Rights Coalition Asia","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/crcasia\/","article_published_time":"2025-02-14T03:22:44+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2659,"height":984,"url":"https:\/\/www.crcasia.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/It-Starts-with-Us-CRCAsia.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"crc_admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@CRCAsia","twitter_site":"@CRCAsia","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"crc_admin","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.crcasia.org\/it-starts-with-us-building-a-safer-digital-world-for-and-with-children\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.crcasia.org\/it-starts-with-us-building-a-safer-digital-world-for-and-with-children\/"},"author":{"name":"crc_admin","@id":"https:\/\/www.crcasia.org\/#\/schema\/person\/d6f1a6c227f55b62b0b78523617f6ffa"},"headline":"It Starts with Us: Building a Safer Digital World for and with Children","datePublished":"2025-02-14T03:22:44+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.crcasia.org\/it-starts-with-us-building-a-safer-digital-world-for-and-with-children\/"},"wordCount":569,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.crcasia.org\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.crcasia.org\/it-starts-with-us-building-a-safer-digital-world-for-and-with-children\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.crcasia.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/It-Starts-with-Us-CRCAsia.png","articleSection":["Latest"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.crcasia.org\/it-starts-with-us-building-a-safer-digital-world-for-and-with-children\/","url":"https:\/\/www.crcasia.org\/it-starts-with-us-building-a-safer-digital-world-for-and-with-children\/","name":"It Starts with Us: Building a Safer Digital World for and with Children - Child Rights Coalition Asia","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.crcasia.org\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.crcasia.org\/it-starts-with-us-building-a-safer-digital-world-for-and-with-children\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.crcasia.org\/it-starts-with-us-building-a-safer-digital-world-for-and-with-children\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.crcasia.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/It-Starts-with-Us-CRCAsia.png","datePublished":"2025-02-14T03:22:44+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.crcasia.org\/it-starts-with-us-building-a-safer-digital-world-for-and-with-children\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.crcasia.org\/it-starts-with-us-building-a-safer-digital-world-for-and-with-children\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.crcasia.org\/it-starts-with-us-building-a-safer-digital-world-for-and-with-children\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.crcasia.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/It-Starts-with-Us-CRCAsia.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.crcasia.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/It-Starts-with-Us-CRCAsia.png","width":2659,"height":984},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.crcasia.org\/it-starts-with-us-building-a-safer-digital-world-for-and-with-children\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.crcasia.org\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"It Starts with Us: Building a Safer Digital World for and with Children"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.crcasia.org\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.crcasia.org\/","name":"Child Rights Coalition Asia","description":"Child Rights Coalition Asia (CRC Asia) is a regional network of child rights and human rights organizations working together to be a strong voice for child rights in the region.","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.crcasia.org\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.crcasia.org\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.crcasia.org\/#organization","name":"Child Rights Coalition Asia","url":"https:\/\/www.crcasia.org\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.crcasia.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.crcasia.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/CRCAsaia-Logo-Black.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.crcasia.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/CRCAsaia-Logo-Black.png","width":295,"height":75,"caption":"Child Rights Coalition Asia"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.crcasia.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/crcasia\/","https:\/\/x.com\/CRCAsia","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UC4bA8__CzxNl3CFCOIw2SQw"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.crcasia.org\/#\/schema\/person\/d6f1a6c227f55b62b0b78523617f6ffa","name":"crc_admin","url":"https:\/\/www.crcasia.org\/author\/crc_admin\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crcasia.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26679","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crcasia.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crcasia.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crcasia.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crcasia.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26679"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.crcasia.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26679\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":26681,"href":"https:\/\/www.crcasia.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26679\/revisions\/26681"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crcasia.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/26680"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crcasia.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26679"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crcasia.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26679"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crcasia.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26679"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}