Working Towards a Deeper Understanding of Digital Safety for Children and Young People in Developing Nations

This study is intended to contribute to building a deeper understanding of children’s safety in a digital context in developing nations. As stated here: “The digital world brings many new opportunities and resources into the lives of young people in developing nations, but it also exposes new groups – typically with lower levels of digital literacy - to a range of new threats." The study is a joint exploration by the Berkman Center for Internet & Society and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).

Its objectives are to raise awareness of the issues of children’s digital safety, provide a tentative map of issues, and give a "state of the research" on this issue, based upon a literature review. The project first surveyed the web for online conversations on internet safety; then drafted a questionnaire to gather information on existing research. The project’s wiki summarises responses.

The study uses developed world research to frame the areas for further questioning, recognising: that mobile phones are more predominant than internet connections in the developing world; that adult and peer cultural values and levels of education, as well as penetration into schools, are factors; and that gender disparities play a role. Legal and policy contexts play a role, including the strength of governance in areas of protection from sexual abuse and pornography, for example.

Variables that require further examination are described in risk scenarios. For example: "Different access technology is very likely to have an impact on the character and quantity of child online safety issues and the particular characteristics of risk scenarios. The potential mediating effect of parents, teachers and other caregivers on Internet and usage of their children, for instance, is different in the case of mobile phones when compared with laptops or PCs [personal computers]. Mobile phones enable young users to communicate with less adult supervision." Level of education (including through opportunities within and outside the classroom), media literacy, and use of online media impact media competency. This suggests that inequalities might increase risk exposure. Regulatory interventions "should not be overestimated in nations where the rule of law has not been fully developed..."

The study proposes that, rather than a bottom-up data-driven approach, a structural framework of risk factors be developed. The proposed framework is a grid of: content, contact, and conduct applied to columns of the topics: commercial, aggressive, sexual, and values.

After analysing some national responses, including those of Brazil and China, the study suggests use of tool for the following:

• Law and law enforcement

• Technology to improve digital safety, e.g., filtering

• Awareness and education