Session
Organizer 1: Bea Guevarra, 🔒NetMission.Asia
Organizer 2: Nattaya Kay Jaratruangsaeng, NetMission.Asia
Organizer 3: Ankita Rathi, NetMission.Asia
Speaker 1: Edmon Chung, Technical Community, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Speaker 2: Jianne Soriano, Civil Society, Asia-Pacific Group
Speaker 3: Raakesh Kriplani, Civil Society, Asia-Pacific Group
Speaker 4: Mauricia Cindy Abdol Tshilunda, Intergovernmental Organization, Intergovernmental Organization
Bea Guevarra, Civil Society, Asia-Pacific Group
Ankita Rathi, Civil Society, Asia-Pacific Group
Nattaya Kay Jaratruangsaeng, Civil Society, Asia-Pacific Group
Roundtable
Duration (minutes): 60
Format description: The roundtable format fosters a collaborative environment for tackling the complex issue of online child safety. Policymakers, industry leaders, child safety experts, and parent advocates come together on equal footing to share diverse perspectives. This 60-minute discussion ensures a focused exploration of key policy questions around age-appropriate safety features, maximizing collaboration and knowledge sharing to create a safer social media experience for children and pre-teens. A 60-minute timeframe is also sufficient for a roundtable discussion to cover the policy questions as the moderators would be assigned to ensure each question receives dedicated time.
A. How can we incentivize platforms to prioritize child safety over user engagement or data collection practices?
B. How can we design safety features that are adaptable to emerging online threats and risks, such as the spread of misinformation or the use of new technologies?
C. Should there be age-specific moderation of algorithmic feeds to prioritize educational and enriching content for younger users, while minimizing exposure to potentially harmful trends or negativity?
What will participants gain from attending this session? This session will unravel the digital world's impact on children and explore actionable solutions to ensure their safety, privacy, and rights are prioritized. Participants will explore how children's rights—like privacy, safety, and access to information—often clash with the challenges they face online, such as data collection, exposure to inappropriate content, and insufficient safety measures. They will gain insight into how digital platforms can be purposefully designed to prioritize children's well-being.
The session will highlight practical, age-appropriate features that can effectively combat cyberbullying, safeguard privacy, and foster positive online interactions. Participants will gain a deep understanding of how ethical design principles directly impact children's online rights, empowering them to advocate for safer social media platforms. By the end, they will be equipped to build a more inclusive digital world where children's voices are heard and protected.
Description:
As the use of social media platforms continues to grow, particularly among children, it's crucial to ensure that these platforms are designed with safety as a top priority. This involves implementing age-appropriate safety features that protect users from harmful or dangerous content, prevent inappropriate interactions, and promote healthy online habits. The design of child-safe products is not just a legal requirement; it's a moral obligation that involves collaboration between product design, marketing, and influencers to prioritize safety in their content. Similarly, online platforms must recognize the importance of age-appropriate safety features to protect their younger users. Social media platforms like YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat have introduced various safety features to address concerns about children's online safety. These features include age restrictions on content, restrictions on sending and receiving direct messages, and content controls for teenage users. For example, YouTube offers a separate app called YouTube Kids, which provides a filtered version of the platform with less content available than the main app and website. This app is designed to be age-appropriate and adheres to quality principles. TikTok has a separate "Kids Mode" for users younger than 13, which provides a more limited experience and restricts certain features. Instagram requires users to be 13 years or older to create an account and has default settings for privacy and interaction based on the user's age. In addition to these platform-specific features, there are general safety settings that parents and caregivers can adjust on TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, and YouTube to further protect their children's online experiences. While these safety features are a step in the right direction, it's essential to continue monitoring and updating them to address new challenges and emerging risks. This includes ongoing research & collaboration between social media companies, policymakers, and experts in child development and online safety.
This session isn't just about identifying problems; it's about solutions! By the session's end, participants will learn practical strategies to protect children online. They will gain a nuanced understanding of online threats and explore innovative solutions for designing safer platforms. Participants will leave with a toolkit of age-appropriate features to combat cyberbullying, ensure privacy, and promote positive interactions. They will also learn how ethical design principles intersect with children's online rights, empowering them to advocate for safer social media practices. This session will equip participants with actionable insights and will inspire them to champion a more inclusive digital landscape where children's voices are not just heard but safeguarded.
Hybrid Format: To foster a lively exchange between online and onsite speakers and attendees, we'll leverage a platform like Zoom to enable seamless Q&A, live polls, and chat for everyone. This ensures an engaging experience for all participants, regardless of location. As there will be a dedicated online moderator, they will be able to monitor the chat function for any questions that may arise during the session and have them addressed by the onsite moderator.