Children in the digital environment

Towards a safe and beneficial online world for children

Across the OECD, over 90% of 15-year-olds frequently chat online

The digital environment is a fundamental part of children’s daily lives. It offers tremendous benefits to children, opening new channels for education, creativity and social interaction. However, it also presents serious risks, including cyberbullying, sextortion and risks to privacy. It is therefore more important than ever to establish the necessary conditions for a safer digital environment and provide children the right digital skills to address the exacerbated risks it poses.

The OECD is a key and unique forum for governments in implementing coherent policies and procedures that can address the delicate trade-off between enabling the opportunities that the digital environment can bring to children and protecting them from the risks.

OECD Recommendation on Children in the Digital Environment

This Recommendation was developed in recognition that the digital environment is a fundamental part of children’s daily lives, and that strong policy frameworks are needed to help children realise the opportunities that it can bring while protecting them from any potential harm.

The Recommendation sets out principles for promoting a safe and beneficial digital environment for children, recommendations on overarching policy frameworks, and highlights the importance of international co-operation. It is accompanied by the OECD Guidelines for Digital Service Providers and a companion document that assists governments and other stakeholders in implementing the Recommendation.

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