It is important for all relevant stakeholders including policy-makers, industry, parents and educators as well as children themselves to appreciate these risks and potential harms in formulating harmonised prevention and response mechanisms. However, just as children and young people are often at the forefront of adopting and adapting to the new connected technologies together with the opportunities and benefits they bring, they are also being exposed to a range of content, contact, conduct and contract risks online, some of which can translate into potential harms online and offline.
With 69 per cent of young people online in 2019, and one in three children being connected, the Internet has become an integral part of children’s lives, presenting many possibilities for children and young people to communicate, learn, socialise and play, exposing children to new ideas and more diverse sources of information, opening opportunities for political and civic participation for children to be creative, and contribute to a better society. It is entirely integrated into the lives of children and young people, making it impossible to consider the digital and physical worlds separately. The Internet has transformed how we live. The ITU Guidelines on Child Online Protection
