Five years ago, we made a promise to our children. In 2021, the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child adopted General Comment No. 25 under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, affirming that children’s rights apply fully in the digital environment. Not partially. Not optionally. Fully. Yet five years later, many digital platforms still treat children as data points, engagement drivers, and future consumers rather than rights holders. Across Africa, childhood is already digital-first. Mobile access is high. Online participation is growing. But age-appropriate design, meaningful child participation in tech governance, and strong enforcement remain inconsistent. General Comment No. 25 was not symbolic guidance. It was a legal interpretation. A call to action for States. A warning to industry. A reminder that innovation cannot outrun accountability. This anniversary is not a celebration. It is a checkpoint. Are we building digital ecosystems that respect children’s dignity, privacy, safety, and voice? Or are we still optimizing for profit over protection? The next five years must move us from promises to enforcement, from consultation to co-creation, from access to rights-based design. Children are not products. They are rights holders. #ChildRights #DigitalRights #GeneralComment25 #ChildOnlineSafety #TechAccountability @5RightsFound @amnesty @SOSChildrenUSA

⚠️ Child Rights Impact Assessment: A Policy Tool for a Rights‐Respecting Digital Environment - just published o/a by @Livingstone_S @Kruakae_Noony #DigitalFutures4Children @5RightsFound @MediaLSE #CRIA #DigitalEnvironment #ChildRights #GeneralComment25 onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/…

Children click before they speak. But who’s asking for their consent? Before we teach them to share their data, maybe we should teach them they have a choice. A choice to ask: What am I agreeing to? A choice to pause before pressing accept. Because it’s not just about saying yes or no. It’s about understanding what’s being asked in the first place. We hand children devices filled with pop-ups, permissions, and AI systems, then bury the truth in pages of terms even adults don’t read. Worse, we call it consent. But real consent means giving kids the tools to question. To read. To know when something feels wrong and walk away. What if every app/AI system came with terms a child could understand? What if we spent as much time teaching digital boundaries as we do teaching digital skills? Because in the age of AI, pressing "I agree" is easy. But knowing what you're agreeing to? That’s power. #RIGHTSAI #MtotoNews #DFC #DigitalFutures4Children #ChildRights #GeneralComment25 #DigitalConsent #KidsOnlineRights #SafeTechForKids #ChildSafetyOnline @Livingstone_S @5RightsFound

A child proudly creates their first masterpiece using AI. Their first instinct? Share it! But pause… This is the crucial moment when we emphasize the "Stop and Think Before You Share" checkpoint. Today’s digital world offers children incredible opportunities for creativity. But with these opportunities come important lessons about privacy, ownership, and managing their digital footprint. The "Stop and Think" message is not about limiting creativity. It is about empowering children to share safely and wisely, with an understanding of how platforms and AI tools might use or store their data in ways they do not expect. Here's what "Stop and Think Before You Share" looks like in practice. Children should take these simple but powerful steps, ideally with the support of a parent, teacher, or guardian: 1. Check Privacy Settings Teach children to explore and adjust privacy settings on apps and platforms. Turn off automatic upload features that may share content before it is ready. 2. Save Locally First Before sharing a creation, encourage children to save a copy on a secure device. This keeps the original version safe and in their control. 3. Ask Permission Children should always check with a trusted adult before posting any photos, creative projects, or personal files online. This builds awareness and good digital habits. By following these steps, children gain lifelong skills in managing their digital identity and protecting their creative work. The goal is to help them explore and share with confidence and care, not fear. A thoughtful approach leads to safe and enriching online experiences. Let’s spread the message: Stop. Think. Share, the smart way. #MtotoNews #DFC #DigitalFutures4Children #ChildRights #GeneralComment25 #AIforKids #FutureofEducation #ResponsibleAI #DigitalSafety #StopAndThinkBeforeYouShare #OnlineSafetyForKids #DigitalCitizenship #ChildOnlineProtection @Livingstone_S @5RightsFound

Discover the power of Generative AI! In our latest short video, we break down how #GenAI transforms ideas into dynamic content—powering chatbots, crafting images, writing stories, and composing music. Watch how children are harnessing these innovative tools to learn, play, and create every day. Join the conversation on responsible AI for children by using #RIGHTSAI. #MtotoNews #DFC #DigitalFutures4Children #ChildRights #GeneralComment25 @Livingstone_S @5RightsFound

🤔Where can you find good evidence about children and young people's digital lives and rights? 💡#DigitalFutures4Children is delighted to launch its o/a research database 🔗digital-futures-for-children… @MediaLSE @5RightsFound #Evidencebased #GeneralComment25 #ChildRights #AOIR2024

We have also developed our #PlayfulByDesign research to show how it supports our wider #DigitalFutures4Children agenda for #ChildRightsByDesign, helping to implement #UNCRC #GeneralComment25 at dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/36784… - read o/a at eprints.lse.ac.uk/124301/1/P…

💡#ChildRights researchers & advocates – read about the drafting of #UNCRC #GeneralComment25 #DigitalEnvironment @amandaj3rd #GerisonLansdown #DigitalFutures4Children 📖#OA #MediaCommunicationGovernance @ManuelPuppis @Robin_Mansellx #HildeVandenBulck 🌟elgaronline.com/edcollchap-o…

We’re delighted to welcome Prof @Livingstone_S as our keynote speaker for our #YouthSafetyOnline event this afternoon. “It was about being child rights concepts to a new ecosystem,” she says on #GeneralComment25 that takes the #UNCRC into the digital world.

ICYMI our #DigitalFutures4Children report on ‘Best Interests of the Child in The Digital Environment’ was published last week - with @5RightsFound @MediaLSE We explain what #BestInterests does/doesn't mean #UNCRC #DigitalEnvironment #GeneralComment25 At buff.ly/4atGZgS

Building on the work of the #DigitalFutures Commission - digitalfuturescommission.org… - we're looking for someone to come and work with us on generating insights and innovative solutions to ensure the digital environment respects and promotes #ChildRights🧒#UNCRC #GeneralComment25

➡️What role do states play, and how can they collaborate with stakeholders - including big tech - to realise children's rights in relation to the digital environment? #DigitalRights #IGF2023 #UNCRC #GeneralComment25 /6

Toolkit for Digital Safety Design Interventions and Innovations: Typology of Online Harms - new from @wef It's anchored in #UNCRC #GeneralComment25 #ChildRights #DigitalEnvironment #GC25 & builds on @CORE_H2020 4Cs of #OnlineRisk core-evidence.eu/posts/4-cs-… weforum.org/docs/WEF_Typolog…

We've just updated the Digital Futures Commission website with all our outputs - you'll find everything there :-) Now we're making future research plans :-) #DigitalFutures #DigitalFutures4Children @5RightsFound @MediaLSE #GeneralComment25 #EvidenceBased digitalfuturescommission.org…

Oh dear, this is what goes wrong when efforts at #ChildProtection neglect #ChildPrivacy #ChildSupport and #ChildRights - a holistic and balanced approach is the only way ahead #UNCRC #GeneralComment25

Missed @Livingstone_S's keynote @ the ILPC ⁦@IALS_law⁩ ⁦Annual Conference? Check out the video recording of the talk 'Children's Rights in the Digital Environment' here👇 sas.ac.uk/podcasts/ilpc-annu… #childrensrights #onlinesafety #GeneralComment25 @SASNews #SoniaLivingstone⁩

Today I'll be discussing children's rights in a global perspective at #FOSI2022, drawing on work from #GlobalKidsOnline #DigitalFutures @5RightsFound @MediaLSE #ChildRights #GeneralComment25

“While protection is vital, we put children and young people’s freedoms and civil rights at risk if we become over-protective” @Livingstone_S on moving #childparticipation to the digital era @CFGProject: childfriendlygovernance.org/… #generalcomment25 #SaferInternet4EU @LSEnews

We were heartened when the #UNCRC #GeneralComment25 was adopted, recognizing that children’s rights extend to the digital environment #SaferInternetDay 2/4

On #HumanRightsDay you can find all you need to know about #ChildRights #Digital #ICT #IGF2021 #InternetGovernance #HumanRightsDay2021 @5RightsFound, see #UNCRC #GeneralComment25 adopted this year. 5rightsfoundation.com/our-wo…