Children’s rights

Two in five UK children say they bypass online age checks

Nearly two in five UK children aged 11 to 17 say they have successfully bypassed an online age check, according nationally representative research commissioned by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT).

The study surveyed 2,299 children in May 2026 to examine their experiences with age assurance, VPN use and methods of bypassing age checks. It also included an additional sample of recent VPN users.

Overall, 39% said they had successfully bypassed an age check at least once, while another 14% had tried unsuccessfully. Success rates rose from 28% among 11- to 12-year-olds to 43% among older teenagers.

Many children avoided age checks altogether by choosing websites, apps or games that either had no age verification or appeared easy to bypass. Among those who successfully circumvented checks, 63% said they simply pretended to be older, most commonly by entering a false date of birth.

Most successful circumvention involved simple self-declaration systems such as tick boxes and date-of-birth fields, which children also rated as the least effective.

By contrast, 86% of respondents who had encountered government ID verification considered it effective, while third-party identity services, payment card verification and facial age estimation also received substantially higher ratings.

Privacy was the most common reason for using a VPN. However, 22% of VPN users said they had used one to access age-restricted websites, apps or games, equivalent to 7% of all children surveyed.

Parents were involved in some VPN use. Among children who had used one, 22% received help from a parent to set it up, while 43% of current users said a parent paid for the service. However, older teenagers were more likely to install VPNs without parental knowledge.

Friends were the main source of information about bypassing age checks, cited by half of children who had done so. Practical consequences appeared to be the strongest deterrents, including harder-to-defeat checks, permanent account bans, and notifying parents about circumvention attempts.

The report also found an association between bypassing age checks and exposure to harmful content. Among children who had circumvented age checks, 51% reported later encountering at least one form of harmful material, including explicit content, contact from unknown adults and requests for personal information.

The researchers cautioned that the findings rely on self-reported behaviour and do not establish that VPN use or circumvention directly caused exposure to harmful content.

Why does it matter?

The findings suggest that basic self-declaration systems provide limited protection for children and are easily circumvented. As regulators increasingly require stronger age assurance under frameworks such as the UK’s Online Safety Act, the challenge will be deploying systems that are both effective and proportionate while protecting users’ privacy.

The research also highlights that technology alone is unlikely to solve the problem. Children’s motivations, platform design, parental involvement and digital literacy all influence whether age restrictions are respected, suggesting that meaningful online safety will require a combination of technical safeguards, regulation and education.

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MIT develops safer way to detect harmful AI models

MIT researchers have developed a new auditing method to detect whether generative AI models have been adapted to produce child sexual abuse material without generating illegal content during testing.

The technique was developed with Thorn, a child safety nonprofit focused on protecting children from sexual abuse and exploitation online.

Traditional AI safety testing often involves prompting a model and checking its outputs, but that approach cannot be used for child sexual abuse material, which is illegal to generate in the US and many other jurisdictions.

MIT said the problem has become more urgent as open-source generative AI models become easier to download, adapt and redistribute.

The researchers’ method examines internal changes during fine-tuning, rather than testing the model by generating images.

In tests, the auditing procedure identified model variants adapted to generate child sexual abuse material with 100% accuracy.

MIT said hosting platforms could use the method to flag unsafe models, block uploads or remove harmful adaptations before they spread more widely online.

The researchers also plan to test whether the approach can detect harmful capabilities in a larger set of model variants and in base models before adaptation.

Why does it matter?

The research addresses a serious AI safety blind spot: some harmful model capabilities cannot be tested safely or legally by generating outputs. A non-generative auditing method could give hosting platforms, auditors and law enforcement a safer way to detect models adapted for child sexual abuse material before they are distributed. It also points to a broader governance challenge around open-source generative AI: platforms may need scalable tools to assess harmful adaptations without exposing reviewers to illegal or traumatic content.

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European Commission panel recommends social media restrictions for under-13s

A special panel convened by the European Commission has recommended restricting access to social media and other high-risk digital services for children under 13, arguing that platforms should prove they are safe before minors are allowed to use them.

The report was prepared by the co-chairs of the Special Panel on Child Safety Online, Prof. Dr. Jörg M. Fegert and Dr. Maria Melchior, whom European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen appointed in March 2026 to advise on child safety online and possible age restrictions for social media.

The panel met three times between March and June 2026 to examine scientific evidence on the impact of social media and digital environments on minors, review existing EU and national rules, and develop recommendations to better protect and empower children online.

The report uses the term ‘social media+’ to describe social media and other digital services that expose minors to potentially harmful features, including addictive design, infinite scroll, autoplay, recommender systems, persistent notifications, AI companions, video games and video-sharing platforms.

The co-chairs argue that providers, not children or parents, should bear the burden of demonstrating that their services are safe by design and appropriate for young users. Until then, they recommend restricting access for children under 13, while allowing member states to introduce additional precautionary measures for older adolescents if needed.

The recommendations also call for proportionate age-assurance systems, stronger safety-by-design requirements, limits on addictive platform features, more effective complaints mechanisms for minors and stronger enforcement of existing EU legislation, including the Digital Services Act, GDPR and AI Act.

The report also urges the EU to close legislative gaps on child sexual abuse online by adopting permanent obligations requiring providers to prevent, detect, report and block abuse, including in interpersonal communications.

Beyond restrictions, the report emphasises digital empowerment through stronger media literacy for children, parents, teachers and caregivers, greater participation by young people in policymaking, improved parental guidance, increased support for civil society organisations and helplines, and more investment in offline activities such as sports, arts and youth spaces.

The report concludes that protecting children online requires an ecosystem-wide approach involving regulators, digital service providers, educators, parents, caregivers and children themselves. It argues that children’s rights should apply online just as they do offline, balancing protection with opportunities to learn, participate and communicate.

Why does it matter?

The report could significantly influence future EU policy on children’s access to digital services, platform design and online safety. By recommending a default restriction for children under 13 and placing responsibility on providers to demonstrate that their services are safe, it shifts the debate away from parental responsibility towards platform accountability.

Although the recommendations are not legally binding, they are likely to inform future discussions on the Digital Services Act, the AI Act and wider EU child protection policies. If adopted, they could reshape how online platforms design services for younger users across Europe.

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European Parliament advances child safety privacy balance

The European Parliament has adopted amendments to a temporary exemption from the EU’s ePrivacy rules, seeking to preserve voluntary detection of child sexual abuse material while strengthening protections for end-to-end encrypted communications.

MEPs voted to exclude communications protected by end-to-end encryption from the scope of the temporary derogation, reinforcing privacy protections while maintaining support for voluntary detection measures.

The amendments were adopted during Parliament’s second reading of the proposal. Although a simple majority initially voted to reject the Council’s position, the motion failed because it did not reach the required absolute majority of 360 votes. Parliament therefore proceeded to adopt amendments instead.

The amended text now returns to the Council, which has three months to approve or reject Parliament’s changes. If the Council does not accept all of the amendments, the proposal will move to conciliation negotiations.

The temporary derogation is intended to prevent a legal gap following the expiry of the previous exemption in April 2026. It allows electronic communications providers to continue voluntarily detecting, removing and reporting child sexual abuse material while EU institutions negotiate a permanent legal framework.

Earlier negotiations between the European Parliament and the Council failed to produce an agreement, allowing the previous temporary framework to expire before the proposal returned for a second reading.

At the same time, Parliament and the Council continue negotiations on a permanent legislative framework to combat child sexual abuse online. Most elements have already been agreed, with discussions continuing on issues such as the balance between child protection and fundamental rights, including privacy and secure communications.

Why does it matter?

The vote highlights the EU’s continuing effort to balance child protection with fundamental rights. By excluding end-to-end encrypted communications from the temporary derogation, Parliament is signalling that stronger safeguards against child sexual abuse should not come at the expense of weakening secure communications.

The decision also keeps voluntary detection measures in place while negotiations continue on a permanent framework. The outcome of those talks is likely to shape how the EU reconciles online safety, privacy and encryption in future digital regulation.

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Global groups call for stronger AI accountability rules

Global organisations have called for AI governance frameworks that prioritise trust, information integrity and child safety, backed by enforceable accountability from AI companies.

The European Broadcasting Union delivered the message alongside Fondation Abeona, the Global Trust Challenge and 5Rights Foundation at a side event of the UN Global Dialogue on AI Governance in Geneva.

The groups warned that AI companies are increasingly shaping how people access and evaluate information, while traditional markers of editorial accountability, such as bylines and editorial principles, may become less visible to audiences.

They also pointed to declining public trust in news and rising use of AI chatbots as information sources.

Child safety was another central concern. 5Rights Foundation warned that children are adopting generative AI faster than adults, while many AI systems are not designed with children’s rights and development in mind.

The organisations presented three recommendations to the UN Global Dialogue.

They called for public service media to be recognised as trust anchors in national AI governance frameworks.

They also urged stronger safeguards requiring AI systems that affect children to be demonstrably safe, accurate and effective before reaching the market.

A third recommendation called for open, interoperable standards and sandboxed environments, so that information infrastructure is not shaped solely by technology companies.

Why does it matter?

The side event links AI accountability to two sensitive areas: information integrity and child safety. As AI systems become gateways to news, search and everyday information, governance frameworks will need clearer rules on accuracy, sourcing, attribution and responsibility. The child-safety recommendation also establishes a stronger accountability standard: AI systems that affect children should be proven safe and effective before deployment, rather than relying on harm mitigation after problems emerge.

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UN AI dialogue urges human rights to become the foundation of AI governance

Human rights must move from the margins to the centre of AI governance if societies are to harness AI without undermining democracy, equality and public trust, speakers argued during the fourth thematic discussion of the UN Global Dialogue on AI Governance.

Bringing together governments, UN agencies, civil society, academia and industry, the session examined how AI systems can better respect human rights through stronger transparency, accountability and human oversight. Participants agreed that AI governance should be grounded in international human rights law throughout the entire AI lifecycle, from design and development to deployment and oversight.

AI deserves the same safeguards as medicines

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk opened the discussion by comparing AI regulation to the approval process for new medicines. Drugs undergo years of testing before reaching patients, he noted, yet AI systems are being deployed at unprecedented speed despite already contributing to mass surveillance, online disinformation, discrimination and growing risks to children.

Türk rejected the notion that regulation inevitably slows innovation, arguing instead that robust safeguards enable societies to trust new technologies. International human rights law, he said, already provides a binding framework for addressing issues such as privacy, equality, non-discrimination and access to justice, and should guide AI governance rather than being treated as an afterthought.

He also stressed that human oversight must be meaningful rather than symbolic, with clearly identified individuals empowered to intervene or halt AI systems when necessary. Summarising his vision for responsible innovation, Türk contrasted the technology industry’s pursuit of ‘bigger, faster, better’ with what he described as a more appropriate goal: ‘smarter, kinder, wiser.’

Women and children bear disproportionate AI risks

The first panel focused on how AI is amplifying existing inequalities, particularly for women, children and other vulnerable groups.

UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous presented evidence showing that 44% of assessed AI systems exhibit gender bias, while up to 99% of online sexual deepfakes target women. She also noted that women remain significantly underrepresented in AI development, with only a minority of national AI strategies explicitly addressing gender equality.

Bahous argued that governments remain the primary duty bearers under international human rights law and called for mandatory human rights impact assessments before and after AI deployment, alongside the meaningful participation of women, indigenous communities, disability advocates and civil society in AI governance.

Sonia Livingstone, a member of the Independent International Scientific Panel on AI, highlighted growing evidence that AI-generated child sexual abuse material is increasing rapidly and warned that many AI companion systems currently fail basic child safety standards. Rather than excluding young people from digital technologies, she argued, policymakers should ensure that children’s rights to participation, education and expression remain protected while embedding safeguards into AI systems from the outset.

Agentic AI raises new accountability challenges

Speakers also warned that increasingly autonomous AI systems are exposing significant legal and governance gaps.

Morocco’s Minister Delegate Amal El Fallah Seghrouchni described agentic AI as one of the most important governance challenges of the coming decade. As AI systems increasingly rely on networks of autonomous agents making decisions without direct human instruction, identifying responsibility when something goes wrong becomes considerably more difficult.

She proposed several practical measures, including documenting the actions of AI agents throughout decision-making processes, ensuring that a clearly identifiable human remains responsible for AI-enabled public services, and guaranteeing timely avenues for redress when individuals are harmed.

Samuel Arias Arzeno, Judge of the Supreme Court of the Dominican Republic, similarly argued that governance only becomes meaningful when someone believes an AI system has violated their rights and seeks justice. Courts, he said, must remain central institutions for ensuring that AI-assisted decisions remain subject to human accountability.

Rights protections should not depend on geography

A recurring concern throughout the discussion was that meaningful human rights protections are often applied unevenly across different regions.

Digital Rights Foundation founder Nighat Dad argued that robust human rights due diligence is largely conducted only where legislation requires it, particularly in Europe, while identical AI systems may be deployed elsewhere without comparable safeguards. She described this as a structural choice rather than a capacity gap, creating what she called a ‘two-tier’ human rights regime.

Dad called for mandatory gender and child rights impact assessments before deployment, consistent due diligence obligations across all markets where AI systems operate, and repeated assessments whenever AI capabilities change significantly.

Alvitta Ottley, also a member of the Independent Scientific Panel on AI, highlighted what she described as an ‘evaluation mismatch’. Current AI assessments often measure technical performance such as speed and accuracy, she explained, while policymakers and societies are instead asking whether AI protects human rights, strengthens accountability and improves people’s lives. Closing this evidence gap will require interdisciplinary research and much stronger evaluation of AI’s long-term societal impacts.

UN Assistant Secretary-General for Youth Affairs Felipe Paullier added that young people remain among AI’s most active users and innovators, yet rarely participate in decisions shaping the technology’s future. He urged governments to create meaningful opportunities for youth participation within national AI governance frameworks.

Global South voices call for more inclusive governance

Audience interventions reinforced the need for AI governance that is genuinely inclusive rather than shaped primarily by a handful of countries and companies.

Brazil highlighted its Digital Statute for Children and Adolescents, which requires child protection measures to be incorporated from the design stage and restricts platform features that encourage excessive use. Poland pointed to the Council of Europe Framework Convention on AI as an important legally binding instrument placing AI within the broader framework of human rights, democracy and the rule of law, while the Republic of Korea presented its AI Basic Act, which requires human rights assessments for high-impact AI systems.

Civil society organisations called for stronger global action. Access Now urged governments to establish binding human rights safeguards and prohibit AI applications that pose unacceptable risks, while the Association for Progressive Communications argued that communities should be viewed as ‘the first mile, not the last mile’ of AI governance, emphasising that meaningful connectivity and local participation remain prerequisites for equitable AI development.

In the closing discussion, co-chair Linda Bonyo highlighted another overlooked barrier to inclusive governance: many Global South experts remain unable to participate in international discussions because of restrictive visa processes, illustrating that exclusion from AI governance can begin long before negotiations start.

Closing the session, Spain’s Minister for Digital Transformation and Public Service Óscar López Águeda acknowledged that governments are already behind the pace of technological change but insisted the direction ahead is clear. AI governance, he argued, is ultimately about defending democracy, human dignity and human agency, ensuring that AI helps societies become better rather than simply more technologically advanced.

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Spain leads international coalition on child safety and AI

Spain has launched the International Coalition for Children’s Rights and Protection in the Age of AI with a group of countries and international organisations.

The initiative was presented during the first UN Global Dialogue on AI Governance in Geneva and is intended to ensure that AI respects children’s safety, healthy development and rights.

Spain said the coalition was promoted with support from France, Kenya and the EU.

Participating countries include Austria, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Czechia, South Korea, El Salvador, Estonia, France, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Luxembourg, Morocco and the Netherlands.

UNICEF, UNESCO, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, the International Telecommunication Union and the UN Office for Digital and Emerging Technologies have also joined the coalition.

The coalition aims to coordinate action between governments, UN bodies, technology companies, civil society, child well-being experts and educators.

Signatories warned that rapid AI deployment is transforming the digital environments in which children learn, communicate and interact. They said AI can create opportunities, but can also amplify risks such as manipulation, harmful content, sexual deepfakes, AI-generated child sexual abuse material and algorithmic profiling of minors.

Coalition members are committed to promoting safe, reliable and trustworthy AI systems that respect children’s rights and include children’s views in the design, deployment and governance of AI systems that affect them.

Why does it matter?

The coalition places child protection at the heart of the emerging UN AI governance agenda. AI-related risks for children now include not only harmful content and cyberbullying, but also sexual deepfakes, AI-generated child sexual abuse material, manipulative algorithms and profiling of minors. A UN-based coalition could help align national approaches around safe-by-design systems, age-appropriate safeguards and children’s participation. However, its impact will depend on whether members move from declarations to practical standards and enforcement.

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WSIS panel calls for a broader approach to youth mental health online

A WSIS Forum 2026 session called for a broader approach to young people’s mental health online, warning that screen time alone is an insufficient measure of digital well-being.

The session, ‘Young people’s mental health in an online world’, examined the impact of digital devices and social media on young people’s mental health, with speakers addressing regulation, education, psychological support and legal remedies.

Alexandre Carette, Information Specialist at the UN in Geneva and moderator of the session, said digital use is not only a concern for young people or experts, but for everyone who relies on digital tools. He linked the discussion to wider UN debates on access, privacy and the role of digital technologies in everyday life.

Niels Weber, a psychologist and psychotherapist in Switzerland specialising in hyperconnectivity, said screen time gives only limited information about young people’s mental health. He argued that the more important questions are what young people do on screens, what they do away from screens, and how digital practices fit into their wider development.

Weber also cautioned against describing most problematic digital use as addiction. He said many platforms are designed to prolong use, but that such a design should be understood as a retention problem rather than automatically as addiction. In clinical terms, he said the more relevant marker is suffering, either for the young person or for families who experience digital use as a constant source of conflict.

Tatiana Debrabandere, Project Manager at the High Council for Media Literacy in Belgium, said that francophone Belgium’s media education framework allows authorities and educators to study children’s and young people’s digital practices across life stages. She said young people are often informed and can have positive online experiences, but that policy debates still focus too much on limiting time online rather than understanding what they actually do there.

Debrabandere said media education should start from young people’s own practices, including what they watch, whom they follow and how they access information. She pointed to influencers and content creators as an important area for media literacy, especially where young people may struggle to distinguish journalism, opinion and commercial promotion.

Daniella Esi Darlington, CEO and co-founder of Alleina AI in Ghana and a member of ITU Secretary-General’s Youth Advisory Board, said young people are among the most active internet users and are therefore often exposed to digital harms. She argued that many platforms are not designed safely enough for young users and that algorithms are built to keep people engaged for long periods.

Darlington also stressed that technology can be part of the response. She cited awareness-raising, advocacy, reporting tools, access to counsellors and AI systems that can help identify cyberbullying as examples of how digital tools can support young people when combined with human oversight.

The panel also discussed loneliness and AI companions. Darlington warned that chatbots should not replace qualified professionals when young people discuss depression, anxiety or other forms of distress. Instead, she said systems should redirect users towards appropriate support and keep humans involved.

Speakers favoured education, dialogue and co-created policy over blanket bans. Debrabandere described political moves in Belgium towards smartphone bans in schools and possible social media restrictions, while Darlington argued that banning social media or internet access would not address the root causes of harm. She said young people also use the internet for research, business, opportunities and communication.

Darlington called for stronger governance frameworks, including child-specific human rights impact assessments in AI and digital policy. She said young people, parents, schools, governments, industry and other stakeholders should be involved in designing safer digital environments.

Weber gave a practical example from therapy, explaining that video games can sometimes help rebuild dialogue between young people and families. By opening a game during a therapy session, he said adults can better understand young people’s emotions, relationships and digital experiences.

Audience interventions raised additional concerns, including neurodivergent children, cyberbullying, individualised media consumption and peer accompaniment models. A participant from Colombia’s regulator asked whether there is sufficient evidence about technology’s impact on mental health and how platforms could be made to take greater responsibility.

Carette said science often shows correlation rather than clear causality, but warned that waiting for definitive proof could delay action. He argued that the lack of transparency in platform business models and algorithms is already a sufficient reason for regulatory attention, not only for young people but for society as a whole.

The session concluded that young people’s digital well-being should be understood in context, taking account of platform design, family life, education, loneliness, social pressure and access to support. Rather than relying only on bans or addiction labels, speakers pointed to media literacy, dialogue, youth participation and stronger accountability for technology providers.

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UK launches toy safety review as AI-enabled toys emerge

The UK government has launched a Call for Evidence on toy safety, including whether existing rules remain suitable as AI-enabled toys and online shopping create new risks for children.

The review is led by the Department for Business and Trade and the Office for Product Safety and Standards. It aims to assess whether the UK’s toy safety framework is fit for modern products and purchasing habits.

The government said the Call for Evidence will examine issues including chemical safety and toys that use AI features.

Consumer Protection Minister Kate Dearden said toy safety rules must keep pace with changes in how people shop and the types of toys children use.

The Call for Evidence is open until 6 October 2026 and invites views from parents, consumer groups, businesses, enforcement authorities and the wider public.

The review forms part of a wider UK programme to reform product safety rules, including measures aimed at unsafe goods sold through online marketplaces.

It does not introduce new toy safety rules immediately, but it will help the government decide how to update the framework.

Why does it matter?

AI-enabled toys raise product safety questions that go beyond traditional concerns such as chemicals, small parts or physical defects. Connected and interactive toys may involve software, data use, voice interaction, recommendation systems or adaptive behaviour, creating new risks for children and new responsibilities for manufacturers, retailers and online marketplaces. The UK review shows how AI is entering mainstream consumer product safety policy, not only digital regulation.

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UN chief urges global rules for AI governance

UN Secretary-General António Guterres has urged governments, companies and civil society to move faster on global AI governance, warning that the technology is already reshaping economies, security and human rights. Speaking at the inaugural UN Global Dialogue on AI Governance in Geneva, he said any future agreement must be ‘worthy of global trust’ and place safety at its centre.

Guterres said AI ‘sits at the heart of our common future’, but stressed that humans must remain responsible for critical decisions. In high-risk areas such as justice, healthcare and policing, he warned that ‘machines can inform, but humans must decide, and answer’.

He also said that AI rules must be aligned internationally, adding: ‘When countries align on how to test systems, measure risk and assign responsibility, safety travels with the technology.’ Without such alignment, he warned, ‘a patchwork of incompatible rules raises costs, divides the world – and protects no one.’

Children’s safety was presented as a central concern. Guterres called for an AI Child Safety Pledge, saying: ‘No child should be a guinea pig for unregulated AI…We do not let medicine reach a child until it is proven safe. We test every toy; yet AI has reached our children – their learning, their friendships, their most private questions, before anyone asked what it would do to them.’

Track all key moments from the WSIS Forum 2026 on our dedicated WSIS page.

He also said that when a child shows signs of distress, ‘the system must stop and connect them to real human support’, and added: ‘When a child is harmed, the answer must never be “the algorithm did it,”’.

The UN chief also warned that unequal access to AI could deepen global divides. Used well and shared widely, he said, AI ‘could compress decades of development into years’ and become ‘the great equalizer of the 21st century’. However, he cautioned: ‘We cannot allow the digital divide to harden into an AI divide and the AI divide to become a development gap, a security gap, and a sovereignty gap.’

Environmental impact was another major focus. Guterres called on major AI companies to disclose the carbon, water and land footprint of their systems and to power all data centres with renewable energy by 2030. ‘AI may feel intangible – but its footprint is not,’ he said, warning that data centres already consume more electricity than most countries and could soon place even greater pressure on power and water systems.

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