IGF 2023 Open Forum #52 RITEC: Prioritizing Child Well-Being in Digital Design

In the digital era, childhood moves fluidly between the virtual and physical playgrounds, with the social lives, entertainment and educational needs of children increasingly found online. This session will introduce the concept of well-being for children in the digital age before going on to examine its importance when we consider the centrality of digital technologies in children’s lives and the rapidly growing concerns around online harms. It will then examine how a holistic understanding of children’s well-being can be embraced by business and governments, to drive digital innovation that is designed to promote benefits in addition to preventing and addressing online risks. To unpack the notion of child well-being and show why it is an important concept for internet governance regimes to incorporate, the LEGO Group and UNICEF will discuss their joint Responsible Innovation in Technology for Children (RITEC) initiative, a research project which aims to create practical tools for businesses and governments that will empower them to put the well-being of children at the center of digital design. The approach taken will include: Part 1: presentations from panelists on online safety and well-being by speakers and then a discussion session will be convened to exchange on perceived challenges and opportunities. Part 2: once panelists have discussed the risks and opportunities, a speaker will walk participants through the RITEC research on how games can positively influence children’s well-being. After Part 2, questions and interventions from the online and onsite audience will be encouraged. 

Online speakers (presented on a screen on stage) will be afforded a chance to speak and answer questions by the moderator, treated as if they were in the room. An online moderator will monitor chat and questions to ensure participation from online attendees. AV arrangements will include a screen behind panelists to ensure online speakers are visible to onsite participants. A live stream of the stage will also be available. We can include an online platform to easily facilitate questions from the online audience as well as the opportunity to express (anonymous) impressions about the presentations which will also be read out by the onsite moderator.