Protecting Children’s Rights in the Digital Age

I am thrilled to share with you that I had the opportunity to attend the 2023 Digital Media and Developing Minds International Scientific Congress in Washington D.C. last month. This was an amazing event that gathered experts from different disciplines to explore how digital media influences the growth and development of children in various domains.

The Congress was organized by Children & Screens, a leading nonprofit that supports interdisciplinary research and public education on the effects of media and technology on children’s well-being. The Congress featured cutting-edge research, practical workshops, engaging panel discussions, and inspiring keynote speeches by some of the most prominent and respected figures in the field.

One of the keynote speakers that I was most impressed by was Baroness Beeban Kidron, a UK House of Lords Crossbench Peer and the founder and Chair of 5Rights Foundation, a UK NGO that champions children’s rights in the digital world. Baroness Kidron has played a key role in shaping the UK Age-Appropriate Design Code (AADC), a set of standards that require online services to provide a high level of protection and privacy for children. She also testified in favor of the California Age-Appropriate Design Code Act (ADCA), a similar bill that was proposed in the US.

Baroness Kidron gave compelling talk on how to create a safer and more ethical online environment for children. She argued that children are not equal to adults in terms of their abilities, needs, and vulnerabilities, and therefore they deserve special consideration and protection in the digital sphere. She criticized the current online system that treats all users as adults and exposes children to risks and harms that they are not ready to handle. She called for a shift in the culture and mindset of the tech industry, policymakers, and society at large, to recognize and respect children’s rights and interests in the digital age.

Baroness Kidron’s talk resonated with our vision and mission at Smart Gen Society. We believe that education is the key to empowering children to become responsible, ethical, and creative digital citizens. We also believe that children have the right to access digital media and technology in a safe and supportive manner. That is why our proactive curriculum, digital wellness services and advocacy work are so important.

I was honored to represent Smart Gen Society at this important event. I had the chance to network with other leaders and experts in the field, learn from the latest research and best practices, and share our work and achievements with a global audience. I also want to let you know that we will be incorporating some of the insights and lessons learned from this Congress into our curriculum. We want to make sure that our students are up to date with the most relevant and reliable information on how digital media affects their development. We want to equip them with the skills and knowledge they need to navigate the digital world safely, responsibly, ethically, and creatively.

Thank you for your support and interest in our work. Together, we can make a difference in the lives of our children.