In an increasingly digital world, access to knowledge is just a click away . But so are the dangers of digital world, and the children particularly are vulnerable to it.
The State of the World Children Report 2017 launched yesterday highlights the role that policy makers can play in making the digital world safer for children.
The report outlines six policy areas where countries can seek to harness the power of ICT for the disadvantaged children and protect the vulnerable.
Digital technology and innovation no doubt makes lives easier but it comes with its own share of ills. Children can become susceptible to exploitation, abuse and trafficking and other risks and threats. UNICEF says very little is done to address the threats children are exposed to in a digital world.
UNICEF Representative Rudolf Schwenk called for more collaboration among policy makers and relevant agencies to create a safer digital world. One area where policy makers can look into is putting children at the centre of digital policy and teaching digital literacy. “Digital technology is here to stay and children are exposed to it,” the UNICEF Representative said.
“They can make use of it for opportunities, to connect with people, for social networks, also for economic opportunities to see how they can learn, how they can grow and then how they can also eventually get skills for finding jobs. The problematic part of digital technology is that children can be exposed to risk. They can be exposed to sexual abuse through unwanted content and we have to make sure that children are safe when they are online.”
The State of the World’s Children report calls for faster action, focused investment and greater cooperation among relevant agencies to protect children from the harms of digital technologies.
