NIC.br Seminar Debates Challenges for Promoting Children's Online Rights

For Sonia Livingstone, the notion of digital native is problematic and children need to develop critical thinking

Public managers, researchers, and civil society representatives participated on April 4 in an exchange of experiences in knowledge production regarding the presence of children and adolescents in the online environment and how public policies can incorporate evidence from studies and surveys conducted in this area. Held by NIC.br and CGI.br, in conjunction with UNICEF and SaferNet, and supported by Instituto Alana, the seminar “Children and Adolescents in the Digital Age: Perspectives for Public Policies” featured the presence of professor and researcher Sonia Livingstone from the London School of Economics (LSE), who emphasized the importance of identifying and protecting the interests of this young audience.

The invisibility of children and adolescents in statistics and public policies was one of the highlights of Professor Livingstone’s presentation, known for surveys investigating the interface between media and childhood.

Another important aspect debated during the seminar was the role of the Internet in education. “It’s a challenge, especially considering that most digital platforms are created to serve commercial interests. In this case, it's increasingly necessary to have a public policy focused on the theme, so that the protection of children doesn't rely solely on parental mediation,” highlighted Sonia Livingstone.

“Although access is more widespread among the youth, including mobile technologies, we have a significant challenge and a long way to go to ensure children's protection online. According to the Kids Online Brazil survey, about half of Brazilian parents or guardians still do not use the Internet in Brazil. How will parents implement mediation strategies if they don't know how to use the Internet?” emphasized Alexandre Barbosa, manager of Cetic.br.

The professor and researcher also drew attention to the type of information children consume. "The notion of the digital native is problematic. Evidence shows that children are learning in various ways, but still need to develop critical thinking. Today we face a dissemination of fake news online, and even adults have difficulty checking if this information is true,” she pointed out.

The methodological challenges of conducting surveys with children were also addressed at the Seminar. Maria Eugênia Sozio, coordinator of the TIC Kids Online Brazil, noted that the collection of sensitive information from children, such as perception of online intolerance and hate speech, should consider the influence of people present during the interview and children’s perception of privacy. More sensitive questions are applied through self-administered questionnaires to create a more comfortable environment for the child's/adolescent's response.

Regarding the protection of children's rights, the event featured a multistakeholder debate with the participation of civil society representatives, the private sector, the Federal Government, and international organizations. Watch the event debates on the playlist available on NIC.br's YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLQq8-9yVHyOaK0XfKTQ8qhEO9uUIX7x2L.

This content was automatically translated with the support of artificial intelligence.