Safe Surfing: Understanding Child Online Activity

Iain Drennan

The threat of child sexual abuse material online is growing and becoming more diverse. According to a global threat assessment published by the WeProtect Global Alliance, there has been an increase in such material appearing online. This includes the alarming trend of children being tricked into providing intimate images, which can have serious consequences. Additionally, there are concerns about the use of AI and deep fake technology to create intimidating images, further exacerbating the issue. The overall sentiment towards this issue is negative, highlighting the urgent need for action.

International action is required to address child sexual abuse online. Saudi Arabia’s initiation of a holistic framework to combat this issue is seen as a progressive step. The responsibility for child online safety lies with the global and national community, including the government and the private sector. Empowering children with tools and choices online is important, as is the need for user-friendly platforms with easy reporting systems to enable children to report any discomfort.

There is collaboration between the public and private sectors, with technology and software engineers engaging with governments and regulatory bodies. The aim is to establish high privacy and protection standards for child users. A collaborative and cross-sector response, including referring child protection issues to law enforcement, is essential to effectively address the problem.

However, funding for online child safety is inadequate and unevenly distributed. While there has been progress in legislation and regulations, with countries like Saudi Arabia, Nigeria, Singapore, the UK, Ireland, and Australia drafting laws to regulate the digital space, there is still room for improvement. It is hoped that the engagement of the global community with these difficult issues will lead to stronger measures for online safety.

In conclusion, the challenge of child sexual abuse material online requires urgent action. International cooperation, involvement from various stakeholders, and sufficient funding are crucial steps in safeguarding children online. Prevention measures should also be a focus in addressing this issue. While progress has been made in legislation and regulations, continued efforts and collaboration are necessary to ensure the online safety of children.

Moderator – Rebecca McLaughlin

During a panel discussion at the GCF 2023, experts convened to address the critical issue of protecting children in the online world. The focus was on the shared responsibility of ensuring children are well-educated, protected, and responsible digital citizens. The panel acknowledged the numerous existing threats and emerging challenges, particularly concerning AI and deepfakes.

The panel recognized that simply removing devices or disconnecting children from the internet is not a feasible solution. Instead, experts emphasized the need to effectively inform and protect children. Esteemed guests, including Dr. Maimouna Al-Khalil, Secretary General of The Family Affairs Council, Saudi Arabia, outlined the council’s work, shared reports, and discussed initiatives.

Ian Dreenan, Executive Director of We Protect Global Alliance, presented their latest findings, specifically addressing the emerging threat of extortion. Dr. Yuwan Park, Founder of the Deque Institute, provided insights into their work on holistic approaches to online safety and referenced the safety index.

Regarding policy and regulation, Dr. Al-Khalil stressed the importance of reinforcing efforts to protect children globally, particularly in Saudi Arabia. She highlighted the need for next steps, milestones, and regulations that can effectively safeguard children from potential harm. Dr. Al-Khalil emphasized the profound repercussions for children if appropriate measures are not implemented.

Ian Dreenan acknowledged that although legislation and regulation are crucial, much responsibility lies with the children themselves. He underlined the importance of encouraging children to share information and express their fears, particularly if they are unaware of the real threats they may face online.

The panel also discussed the vital collaboration between the public and private sectors, including tech and software engineers, in creating safe and engaging online environments. They debated the level of communication and cooperation necessary to develop platforms that prioritize safety while still being entertaining and educational.

Dr. Park highlighted encouraging developments in both the public and private sectors, indicating progress towards a safer educational environment. He expressed hope in ongoing initiatives and the increasing dialogue and funding for development in this area.

Concerns were raised about funding, research, and data collection. The panel suggested allocating greater attention and resources to ensure the protection of children online, emphasizing that it should be a top priority for society as a whole.

Ian Dreenan shared his concerns frankly, emphasizing the need for continuous vigilance and action. However, he also expressed hope for the future, acknowledging that child protection is a collective responsibility even for those without children.

Dr. Park echoed the importance of addressing societal taboos and encouraging open conversations, alongside increased investment in development. He acknowledged the progress made thus far but stressed the need to address tangible risks and maintain hope for the future.

Dr. Al-Khalil, as a parent and representative of the council, shared her concerns and hopes for the conversation surrounding child protection. She emphasized the need to move forward and increase awareness and education on this urgent matter.

Lastly, the moderator, Rebecca McLaughlin, recommended specific apps and protective tools to monitor children’s online activity and directed attendees to seek additional information from the respective agencies present.

Overall, the panel discussion highlighted the shared responsibility of protecting children online, emphasizing the need for ongoing collaboration, education, and regulation. It called for increased funding and attention from governments, the public, and the private sector to create a safer digital environment for children.

Dr. Yuhyun Park

The report titled “Persistent Cyber Pandemic” highlights a concerning trend in which 70% of children between the ages of 8 and 18 have consistently been exposed to at least one cyber risk for a period of seven years. This issue transcends regions and persists both before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

The report emphasizes that addressing cyber risk is not solely a children’s or family matter, but rather a persistent problem that requires the collective efforts of policy makers and industry leaders. This collective approach is crucial for effectively tackling cyber risks and ensuring the safety of children online. The report commends the approach taken by the Kingdom in addressing cyber risks and calls for its continued support.

Dr. Park, an expert in cybersecurity with 15 years of experience, emphasizes the importance of focusing on children’s issues in cybersecurity discussions. She argues that reducing the current cyber risk exposure of 70% among children should be a collective target, advocating for a decrease to at least 50%. To achieve this, she recommends reforms in the family, education, and technology sectors.

In the family and educational sectors, Dr. Park proposes implementing a digital skills framework and teaching responsible and ethical use of technology. She also highlights the need for ICT companies to prioritize safety by designing their products with user empowerment, age-appropriate measures, content moderation, and unified reporting systems in mind.

Furthermore, Dr. Park stresses the significance of policy and regulation in addressing cyber risks. She underlines the need for end-to-end safety measures, ranging from prevention to intervention and reporting. This underscores the importance of establishing comprehensive policies and regulations to safeguard children online.

Aside from the specific findings and recommendations, there are concerns regarding the impact of digital transformations, web developments, and online safety risks on children’s well-being and the security of their living environments. The dynamic nature of these advancements necessitates a mobilized effort to understand and address future risks, ensuring preparedness for potential challenges that may arise.

Overall, the report sheds light on the persistent and widespread nature of cyber risks faced by children, emphasizing the necessity of a collective approach involving policy makers, industry leaders, and the implementation of comprehensive reforms. It stresses the significance of prioritizing children’s issues in cybersecurity discussions and highlights the importance of policies, regulations, and safety measures to protect children online. Furthermore, it calls for ongoing efforts to anticipate and address future risks, aiming to create a safer digital landscape for children.

Dr. Maimoonah Alkhalil

Children in Saudi Arabia are actively participating in various online activities, with nearly 99% of them engaging in socializing, communication, and gaming. However, this increased involvement in the online world presents significant risks. Children are vulnerable to safety risks and exposure to inappropriate content, especially as boundaries between the virtual and physical worlds blur. Cyberbullying occurs both online and offline, further compounding the dangers associated with children’s online communication.

To address these concerns, Saudi Arabia has introduced the National Child Safety Online Framework. Developed with input from over 25 stakeholders, this framework will be overseen by the Family Affairs Council, responsible for its implementation, tracking, and reporting over a five-year period. The launch of this framework signifies a positive step in safeguarding children from the risks inherent in online activities.

The family also plays a crucial role in protecting children against online threats. Open conversations about these dangers are necessary, and parents need to be supportive and receptive when their child shares any online threats or discomfort they have experienced. Teachers also have a responsibility to raise awareness about online risks, helping students understand the various dangers that exist in the online world.

Efficient legislation and law enforcement are essential in tackling online threats. A well-defined system for reporting these threats, along with clear reporting channels and helplines, is necessary to support those affected. Additionally, a robust national infrastructure is required to effectively counter and address these challenges.

Funding is crucial for making progress in child online safety. It can be utilized to raise awareness through campaigns and develop tools that help children identify and manage online risks. Furthermore, a unified approach to measuring and assessing progress is key to ensuring effective intervention and evaluation.

Empowering children to handle potential online risks is crucial. Teaching assertiveness, resistance to peer pressure, and educating them on who to reach out to in case of danger are important aspects of enabling their safe navigation of the online world.

While concerns exist about the unknown and unexpected aspects of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the future, it is important to remain vigilant and prepared. Plans are being implemented to address current challenges associated with AI and to ensure that children are adequately equipped to adapt and regulate their online experiences.

The family’s role is emphasized in adapting to future changes. Ongoing conversations and discussions, both nationally and internationally, are necessary to keep up with evolving trends and ensure the protection of children online. Preparing children, both in terms of their personality and their ability to regulate and face obstacles, is essential for their development.

Parents have a significant responsibility in safeguarding their children online. Actively seeking information and knowledge about online safety is crucial in ensuring their children’s well-being. It is imperative to disseminate awareness through various channels, equipping parents with the necessary information on parental controls, detecting signs of distress in their children, and encouraging positive online experiences.

In conclusion, while children in Saudi Arabia are heavily involved in online activities, there are risks associated with their online communication. The introduction of the National Child Safety Online Framework is a positive step towards addressing these concerns. The involvement of families, educators, legislation, and law enforcement is essential in creating a safe online environment for children. Funding, awareness campaigns, measurement, and assessment are crucial elements for ensuring progress in child online safety. Empowering children with the necessary skills and knowledge to handle online risks is essential, while also being prepared for the future challenges that AI may bring.

Moderator – Rebecca McLaughlin:
activity. Ian Dreenan, Executive Director, We Protect Global Alliance. Dr. Yuwan Park, Founder, Deque Institute. Dr. Maimouna Al-Khalil, Secretary General, The Family Affairs Council, Saudi Arabia. Rebecca McLaughlin, ISTAM, Moderator, International TV Anchor, MC, and Media Trainer. Good morning, everybody. Nice to see you all again on day two of GCF 2023. We have a very important topic to discuss in this panel, and it is all our responsibility to listen up and to protect the children of the world online. How do we make sure that they are well educated, that they are protected, that they are responsible when they grow into digital citizens? There are so many present threats. There are so many emerging ones, not least with the advent of AI, with deep fakes, and many new challenges that we will talk about. It’s not as simple as removing their devices. We can’t unplug the internet. We can’t prevent progress. So how can we best inform and protect them? I have an esteemed panel of guests to help me drill down into these important topics. Thank you for joining me, one and all. Shukran. Let me start by asking you, Dr. Al-Khalil, tell us a little bit about the council, the work that you do, and also the latest findings, the reports and initiatives that

Dr. Maimoonah Alkhalil:
you will be launching. Thank you. Good morning, and it’s very happy to be with you today. The Family Affairs Council specializes in the family as a unit, in empowering its members, in instilling values, and in ensuring cohesion. Particularly, we’re interested in the best interest of women, children, and the elderly, and the family as a unit as a whole. We are very alarmed by the numbers that are coming out on child online safety and the risks that are involved with that, and so it is our responsibility to, first of all, study the current situation, understand what is going on at the national level, and then begin to plan ways in which we can address some of these risks. We know that Saudi children are online by percentages that are almost up to 99%. We know that they are very active, they are socializing online, they are communicating online, they are playing online, they are being entertained online, and so that is a reality that we need to face. In addressing the issues and the risks that come with online communication, we also know that there are risks to their safety, there are risks to the content that they are being seen, there are risks associated with who they communicate with, and we know that there is the line separating the virtual world and the actual world is slowly disappearing, and so what happens in terms of cyberbullying, for instance, that is occurring online, it is coming offline as well by the same harassers, and so in response to these risks that we have noticed, we are very happy to be launching next week at our family forum on November 12th the National Child Safety Online Framework, where we convened and had many debates and many discussions with over 25 stakeholders from the industry, from the government, from the civil society, where we came together and identified who the main stakeholders are, and identified the roles that we want for them to take on, and put that together into a five-year plan and under this framework, and we will be launching it, and I extend an invitation to everyone here to join us next week, where we will be discussing how we can make sure we are implementing this plan, and the Family Affairs Council will be in charge of implementation and tracking and reporting.

Moderator – Rebecca McLaughlin:
Thank you very much. Ian, the important work that you do at WeProtect, talk to us about your latest findings, and also the new threats that are emerging, not least extortion.

Iain Drennan:
Thank you very much. So at WeProtect Global Alliance, we bring together experts from government, from the private sector, from civil society, intergovernmental organizations, to develop solutions to one of the most serious threats facing children online, child sexual abuse, and we heard His Excellency earlier today highlighting the risks posed by child sexual abuse material online, and the need for international action to address it. We published a global threat assessment last month. It’s on our website, it’s available in Arabic as well, and one of the key things we found was that the threat is growing, so we’re seeing an increase in material appearing online, and it’s diversifying. So an example is we’re seeing an increase in financial extortion, so where children, particularly targeting adolescent boys, are duped into providing intimate images of themselves, and then that’s then used to blackmail them, and the consequences of that are really serious. Boys have taken their own lives as a result of this, and now we’re also seeing AI coming in, so that image isn’t necessarily even of them. It could be a deep fake. So these are all issues that we have to address as policymakers, and I really applaud the initiative to launch a holistic framework to address this within the Saudi government. I think it’s incredibly positive and progressive work.

Moderator – Rebecca McLaughlin:
Thank you very much. Dr Parks, from your work at the Deque Institute, holistic approaches is very much something that you believe in too, but talk to us about your latest findings, the safety index

Dr. Yuhyun Park:
findings that you have recently released. Thank you very much. It is an honor to share the stage together with two esteemed speakers. Last year in this stage, we announced the 2022 Child Online Safety Index, and this is our fourth publication on the Child Online Safety Index, which we titled Persistent Cyber Pandemic. We actually track exposure to cyber risk, including cyber bullying and sexual extortations and risky content and contact and so on, and what we found is that from 2017, 70% of children aged 8 to 18 have been experiencing at least one cyber risk, and this number has been a little bit fluctuated, but consistently about 70% across seven years. Of course, there’s an increase in certain risk and decrease in certain risk, but what we found is that it’s across the regions before, during, after COVID, this persistency exists. What does it mean? It is not just about the children issue. It is not just about the education issue. It’s not just about family issue. It is a, there’s a persistent issue that we need to address together as a policy makers and industry leaders as part of the big frameworks of cyber risk, so I really appreciate Kingdom’s approach as a collective approach to address this issue, and we’d love to support if there’s anything that we need to support the Kingdom.

Moderator – Rebecca McLaughlin:
Thank you. Well, Dr. Khalil, let me come back to you. In terms of policy and regulation, so important to really reinforce our efforts when it comes to protecting children around the world, not least in the Kingdom, what would you suggest are next steps, next important milestones and regulations when it comes to protecting them?

Dr. Maimoonah Alkhalil:
Well, I believe that the family plays a major role. We are surrounding these children. We need to have a very open conversation about these threats. We need to know who they are speaking to. We need them to feel they can, they are comfortable to speak to us about any threats, anything making them uncomfortable online. They need to know that we are their number one supporter and that we, without judgment, we will help them. Now, that is in terms of the family surrounding them immediately, but the child has several spheres of existence, and so in this framework, there is a role for the education system. We need to have the same conversation in schools. Teachers need to be able to detect if there is any threat going on and need to include this awareness about what could happen and the risks that are online in their conversations and lessons. We also have to acknowledge that there is a mental risk here affected and connected with cyberbullying and with other threats online, and so health-wise as well, we need to be aware and be able to detect if there is any health issue that we need to address as well, and so reporting lines, helplines, need to be also playing their role here and making sure that we have very clear reporting systems. Once that is reported, we need to have the legislation in place as well, and we need to have law enforcement mobilization so that even the offenders before the children know that if anything of this is ongoing, that there will be consequences, and so from this comes the holistic approach where we understand that a country alone perhaps cannot do much. We understand that this is a global problem. However, we can, nation by nation, at least make in place the infrastructure to be able to counter and address these challenges instantly

Moderator – Rebecca McLaughlin:
as the repercussions are quite profound. Thank you. Ian, as much as we can be prepared, as much as we can put legislation and regulation in place, a lot of it does rest with the child and their confidence, as we were saying, to share the information, to share their fears. How do we encourage them to do that, especially if they’re unaware of the real threats out there, not least

Iain Drennan:
with deep fakes, as you say, with AI? It’s a real challenge, and I think it’s really important to emphasize to the child that the burden is not on them. We should be, as a community, as a global community and as a national community, exactly as you said, say that we are there for you. We are there to help, and I think that goes to private sector companies. It goes to governments. Everyone has a role to play on this, but I think it’s really important that children have the tools and should feel empowered to make the choices that they need to when they’re online, so that I think it should be as user-friendly as possible, and that’s again for the private sector to design it right from the get-go so that it’s easy to report something that you feel uncomfortable with, so that you’re able to block someone easily, and I think just to keep that system in place around them, so that they’re able to take advantage of all the opportunities that there are online, but do it in a safe way. I suppose that’s my question.

Moderator – Rebecca McLaughlin:
What is the level of collaboration between the public and the private sector, and certainly with the tech and the software engineers? Are they speaking to governments? Are they speaking to bodies like yours about creating entertaining, edutaining, but safe, engaging environments

Iain Drennan:
online? I think there’s a lot of positive things we can point to. I think we can look at things like putting positive default settings in for child users, so that when they log in to use a service, that they have the highest levels of privacy, that they have the highest levels of protection, but also I think that there is that dialogue and connection, because there are some things like referring to law enforcement that only governments can do, so I think there needs to be a collaborative response, and it also needs to be a cross-sector response. Thank you.

Moderator – Rebecca McLaughlin:
Dr Park, what have you seen in terms of encouraging or positive developments, not least in the public and the private sector, that give you hope that we’re moving into a safer space, education-wise when it comes to initiatives, or even with those tech and software developers?

Dr. Yuhyun Park:
Well, well, well. This is a million dollars worth question. Before going into that, I want to actually echo back to this morning session that His Excellency mentioned about the sustainability, because I found it is quite interesting analogy that we wanted to actually bring up, because a lot of times the children issue is not the center of cybersecurity discussion. Why is that? I want to actually ask that before we can actually discuss about a million things that private sector governments and families and education can do, but before we even go into that, why children issue has been so neglected? Because I’ve been speaking about this topic for 15 years. I think same with And same with our core speaker. And nothing has been changed. Do you feel the frustrations, actually? Well, let’s ask them. Just to pause there. How many people here believe that it should be a top priority when we’re talking about cybersecurity? This is how it’s supposed to be. So I’d like to boldly suggest, you know, we have this 1.5 Celsius degree. When we talk about the climate action, we have set the goal, 1.5 Celsius degree, no more will be permitted, right? Just like that. We have a 70% cyber risk exposure among children. Can we target at least 50%? Can we work together based on the research, based on the scientific approach? We work together, bring down this number to 50%. Can we work together with that? I think we need a collective approach, at the same time, collective target. And which I’d like to suggest that, you know, GCF can take the leadership to make this happen. And that’s, I’d like to see as a first target that we want to have. What is the barrier? What do we need to remove to make that happen? Exactly. So we need to start with family, right? We need to ensure that there will be the right frameworks from education, from the Minister of Education to set the digital skills frameworks, starting with the digital citizenship that teach children’s AI and digital safe and responsible and ethical way. That’s for sure. That’s minimum. Family, children, education, that’s number one. But at the same time, we need to ensure, like Ayaan just mentioned, we need to ensure the ICT company to have the right frameworks to self-regulate their technology to be safe from the starting point. We just shared about the several functions, but we need to think about safety by design as a very core of their technology development, user empowerment, content moderation, age-appropriate measure. At the same time, the lastly, most importantly, is about the unified reporting about their transparency report. Current transparency report, if you see that, if you compare the transparency report from MEDA and TikTok, can we make it consistent measure so that we know who is responsible on what risk they’re permitting to happen in their platform? And lastly, we need to have the right policy and regulations. And what I actually was quite encouraged about that this whole public health-wide ecosystem that Saudi is building, it is from the end to end, when prevention to intervention and reporting and intervention again, it has to be a virtuous loop that we have to create. So we work so hard to get our technology infrastructures to get in place. Look at this kingdom, and look at how we are actively using social media and digital media, which is great, but now we want to move into the next phase. We need to really think about the sustainability, not just in the digital physical place, but also digital place.

Moderator – Rebecca McLaughlin:
Thank you very much. Doctor, let me come to you. Controversial question, but is there enough funding? Is there enough research? Is there enough data collection, enough development on every front when it comes to making sure that we ring fence and safeguard our children? Is there enough attention going into this important issue, which we all agree should be a top priority?

Dr. Maimoonah Alkhalil:
Very important question. From where I’m standing, no matter how much we do, I still feel like we need to do more. I believe that we need to prioritize child online safety when it comes to funding, and I implore all the entities to make that a priority. I think also that there are some very good opportunities that we can, even in situations where there could be a lack of funding, to utilize and capitalize on other sources of expertise. I want to take an opportunity to thank the UNICEF for helping us and providing the expertise required and the international expertise in coming up with this framework. There is a lot to leverage on, and I don’t believe that lack of funding or that lack of opportunities should stop us from continuing to work, but I do believe that enough funding will go a long way, especially in awareness campaigns, and in bringing to the fore that although we will do everything in our might and this framework to ensure a safe space for children, in the end, it is just the child facing that screen, and so we need to make sure we are putting all our might into their ability to identify risks, what to do when they do sense a risk, how assertiveness, resistance to peer pressure, knowing who to speak to, knowing also that they have a role as a bystander and not to allow any cyberbullying to occur, and so there is so much to be done. Funding is key, research is key, measurement, I cannot agree more, is key, and so we need to have an especially unified way of measuring and assessing progress is key, otherwise it will be very difficult to continue that cycle of intervention and initiatives followed by implementation and then evaluation and intervention and restarting that cycle again.

Moderator – Rebecca McLaughlin:
Thank you very much. Ian, talk to me about your greatest concerns, speaking frankly going forward, but also what gives you the greatest hope, because even if we don’t have children, we all know children, we have them in our family, so what do you see that we don’t?

Iain Drennan:
So I would say, I would like to pick up on the back of Dr Al-Khalil’s point about funding, I think there is funding there, there is not enough, and it is not evenly spread. So this is, so during this week, so I am here in Riyadh, I have a colleague in Nauru speaking with the Pacific Islands Law Enforcement Association, I have another colleague who is in London at the AI Summit. What we were struck by is the shared experience and the shared appetite for engagement on online safety. It resonates around the world in these incredibly different places, but you could have a victim in Saudi Arabia, you could have a perpetrator in Ireland, you could have, and they could be using software or service that’s headquartered in Korea. This is a problem where we can’t build a boundary around it on a national basis and say, right, we’ve got a perfect solution, because that’s not how the internet works. It’s not something where we can invest nationally and then expect to resolve the problem globally. So I think a concern is that there’s not enough funding out there, it’s not being directed enough towards prevention, so stopping the harm before it happens, and that it’s not being shared evenly. I think in terms of grounds of hope, because I think that’s really important to finish on, we are seeing progress. So I think the very fact that I’m sitting here talking about this issue and seeing the words child sexual abuse appearing up there in large letters up on that screen, five, six years ago, I don’t think that would have happened. I don’t think I would have been able to do that. I think that we’re getting to grips with these issues that we face as a global community that are difficult, that are challenging, that are uncomfortable, that make me as a parent sometimes want to look away. But I think we owe it to children not to look away, to grip the opportunities that we have to make things better. And we’re seeing legislation happening all around the world. We’re seeing a framework right here in Saudi Arabia. We’re seeing legislation to regulate the digital world in countries as diverse as Nigeria, Singapore, the UK, Ireland, Australia. People are recognizing that we need to set a baseline here. We need to set a baseline for action. So I think we have seen progress. I agree with Yuhim that we haven’t seen enough. But we’re seeing momentum building. And I think now is an opportunity to really leverage that to turn the tide.

Moderator – Rebecca McLaughlin:
Thank you very much. Dr. Parks, removing the taboo, be it cultural, societal, even within families, getting that conversation and the dialogue flowing as well as the funds into development in this area is so important. As Ian says, we’ve made strides. Not far enough, but we’re getting there. Again, your biggest concern when it comes to the tangible risks and your greatest hope going forward?

Dr. Yuhyun Park:
Yes, we are gaining the momentum on this. And then we’d love to see more practices, more holistic practices, just describing the kingdom. But at the same time, it is very important for us to notice that now Web 2 and Web 3 and metaverse and generative AI, everything is just going to boom. What is going to be like to our children? We don’t have an answer. So it is very difficult for us to stop the speed of technologies. But at the same time, we have to be mindful about that. These changes will change the dynamic on the human’s life, especially starting with our children. So with that regard, I think it is very important for us to really focus and mobilize our effort to understand what is coming risk because we have to be more ahead of the curve. That was His Excellency talked about this morning. We can predict. We have enough smart people in this room and also who is actually working together. Think about what’s coming, new risk to our children and our living room. It’s not about somebody else’s issue. It is my issue, your issue, our issue. So we need to really more proactive and that would be the very important part that we need to have the more provocative discussions.

Moderator – Rebecca McLaughlin:
Thank you. So the final word to you as a parent but also in your capacity, of course, at the Council. What concerns you the most but also gives you the greatest hope of how our conversation will hopefully have moved on when we meet this time next year?

Dr. Maimoonah Alkhalil:
I guess what concerns me most is the unknown and the unexpected. Knowing the challenges now, we are putting the, you know, what measures we could in place and we are willing to follow through and make sure that all these plans are implemented. However, AI is something that we are honestly watching very closely and I believe that and that is why I’m talking about the role of family and about focusing on the child and keeping this conversation going nationally and internationally and having these reports coming up annually where we could as best look ahead and prepare these children for a future. We honestly don’t know what it would look like or what it will be but prepare them as much as we can personality-wise in regulating and facing obstacles as they come. And therefore, I mean, I would like to end on a happy and optimistic note but I do realize that we have a lot to do still.

Moderator – Rebecca McLaughlin:
And just as practical tools for those in the room who may be interested, where can people find out more information and are there specific apps or protective tools that they can use to help monitor their children’s activity? What would you recommend?

Dr. Maimoonah Alkhalil:
Yeah, I recommend seeking knowledge everywhere honestly. There are wonderful reports coming out, there are short videos for parents to see and as part of the framework, there will be a very huge awareness campaign following the social and behavioral change approach. And so there will be a lot of, as part of this framework, a flooding of awareness snippets where just parents know what kind of parental controls they should be aware of, how to approach an issue, pinpointing and finding, detecting elusiveness or sadness or disinterest in family affairs in the child and trying to approach it in a way that would allow the child to open up. And so I believe knowledge seeking is very important on all platforms and we’re happy to use the family affairs platform as a source for this information.

Moderator – Rebecca McLaughlin:
Thank you so much. Your respective agencies have lots of information too, all of that can be found online. Ladies and gentlemen, my incredible panel, please thank them for their contribution here today.