Children’s rights

Australia pushes more AI nudify services offline over child safety

Three more AI-powered ‘nudify’ services have withdrawn access for Australian users after enforcement action by Australia’s eSafety Commissioner under the country’s Age-Restricted Material codes.

The codes require AI services that allow users to access or generate age-restricted material, including sexually explicit material, to put appropriate age-assurance measures in place to prevent access by children under 18.

The latest action followed a formal Direction to Comply issued to one of the most widely used nudify services in Australia, requiring the provider to implement stronger protections within 14 days. Instead, the company disabled access for Australian users, while two associated services also withdrew.

eSafety said users in Australia will no longer be able to log in or use the service’s features, although landing pages may remain visible with content blurred.

The regulator said AI nudification tools pose serious risks because they can be used to create non-consensual sexually explicit deepfakes and child sexual exploitation material. It has also warned that such tools are increasingly being misused in school settings.

The action is part of eSafety’s broader enforcement focus on generative AI and nudify services now that Australia’s online safety codes and standards are in force. The regulator said seven of the most frequently accessed nudify services in Australia have either withdrawn from the market or introduced age-assurance measures following intervention.

Australia is also preparing further legislation to prohibit nudify services used to generate non-consensual sexually explicit material.

Why does it matter?

Australia’s approach shows how regulators can use age-assurance and online safety rules to restrict children’s access to high-risk generative AI tools before new AI-specific laws are fully in place. The case is also important because nudify services sit at the intersection of AI-generated abuse, child protection, image-based harm and platform accountability. By forcing services to either introduce safeguards or withdraw access, eSafety is creating a practical enforcement model that other jurisdictions may closely watch.

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UK’s Youth Justice Board highlights growing risks of online harms for children

The UK Youth Justice Board has published new evidence on how online harms affect children across England and Wales, warning that digital risks are increasingly linked to safeguarding, well-being and youth justice outcomes.

The Evidence and Insights Pack brings together research, data and practice examples to improve understanding of the risks children face online and how services can protect them more effectively.

The report says children face overlapping digital harms, including cyberbullying, sexual abuse, radicalisation, exploitation and the non-consensual sharing of intimate images. It also warns that harmful content and image-based abuse are becoming increasingly normalised among children, disproportionately affecting girls.

The YJB says many children who engage in problematic online behaviour have complex needs or have experienced abuse themselves. Weak platform design and limited digital literacy among adults can increase children’s vulnerability and make safeguarding more difficult.

The report calls for responses that go beyond criminal justice. It identifies promising approaches, including safety-by-design and teen-by-default platform measures, early intervention, harm-reduction responses, digital media and gaming literacy, healthy relationships education and gender-sensitive programmes.

The YJB also highlights strength-based interventions that promote belonging, critical thinking and positive identity building for children. It says such approaches can help reduce harm while avoiding unnecessary criminalisation.

The publication comes as the UK implements the Online Safety Act and prepares to ban social media for under-16s by spring 2027. The YJB said protecting children will require coordinated action across education, health, policing, local government, housing and social care.

Why does it matter?

The report strengthens the case for treating online harms as a safeguarding and public policy issue, not only a matter for platforms or the police. It shows that children can be victims, perpetrators and vulnerable participants in the same digital environments, especially where abuse, exploitation, misogyny or harmful content are normalised. The YJB’s focus on prevention and early support is important because punitive responses can deepen children’s contact with the justice system without addressing the underlying risks.

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Child safety gaps in AI law flagged by Ireland’s Children’s Rights Alliance

The Children’s Rights Alliance has urged Irish authorities to strengthen protections for children against the risks posed by rapidly advancing AI technologies. The organisation argues that current regulatory efforts do not sufficiently protect young users from emerging digital risks.

The warning comes ahead of a parliamentary debate on the Regulation of Artificial Intelligence Bill, which is intended to support the implementation of the EU AI Act in Ireland.

Government officials have presented the legislation as a step towards ensuring that AI is developed and deployed in an ethical, transparent and accountable manner while reinforcing Ireland’s position as a European digital regulatory hub.

However, the Children’s Rights Alliance has criticised the proposed framework, arguing that it does not explicitly recognise children as a vulnerable group requiring additional safeguards. The organisation also warned that inadequately regulated AI systems could contribute to harms, including deepfakes, online exploitation and the generation of child sexual abuse material.

Advocates are calling for policymakers to prioritise child safety over industry interests as Ireland prepares for its EU Council Presidency. The group is also hosting a discussion on AI accountability, emphasising the need for stronger protections in future regulation.

Why does it matter?

The debate highlights growing concerns that AI governance frameworks may not adequately address the specific risks faced by children. As generative AI tools become more accessible and capable, they can amplify existing online harms while creating new challenges related to deepfakes, manipulation, exploitation and exposure to harmful content.

The discussion also reflects a broader policy question about how vulnerable groups should be protected within emerging AI regulation. Whether children are explicitly recognised within legal frameworks could influence future requirements for risk assessments, safety measures, accountability mechanisms and platform responsibilities. As governments around the world implement AI governance regimes, child protection is increasingly becoming a key test of whether regulation can keep pace with technological change.

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UNESCO launches media literacy guide for families in the digital age

UNESCO has launched a global media literacy guide to help parents, caregivers, and families support children’s safe, informed and critical engagement with digital environments.

The guide, titled Growing Up in a Connected World: A Family Guide for the Digital Age, was launched at UNESCO Headquarters and online, attracting around 700 participants. It is available in English, French, and Spanish.

Developed by UNESCO in partnership with the French Media and Information Literacy Centre, CLEMI / Réseau Canopé, the guide is intended to equip families with media and information literacy skills to help guide children’s digital engagement.

UNESCO said the initiative comes amid growing global debate over whether younger users’ access to social media should be restricted or, in some cases, prohibited altogether. The organisation said such debates reflect broader concerns about safety, wellbeing and exposure to harmful content, but also underline the need to help young people navigate digital spaces safely, critically, and confidently.

The guide addresses both opportunities and risks linked to digital technologies. UNESCO said digital technologies can expand access to knowledge, participation and connection, but can also expose children to cyberbullying, harmful content, misinformation, and hate speech.

Khaled El-Enany, Director-General of UNESCO, said, ‘UNESCO promotes robust, evidence-based Media and Information Literacy policies. There is progress: UNESCO’s 2025 global survey shows that 171 countries now have a MIL policy framework. However, implementation remains uneven, with fewer than half of countries integrating media and information literacy into school curricula. As a result, too many children still receive no structured support at all. And when schools cannot fill this gap, the responsibility falls on families.’

Samuel Vitel, Director General of Réseau Canopé, said, ‘It is often through dialogue with parents that children learn to question information, compare different perspectives, and develop their critical thinking skills. This is why parents need support, just as we already provide it to teachers and to all education stakeholders.’

UNESCO said families are increasingly at the centre of today’s information ecosystems as digital and political transformations reshape society. The organisation said regulatory approaches such as safety by design remain important, but are not sufficient on their own.

The guide is designed to place practical tools directly in the hands of parents and caregivers. UNESCO said the aim is to support informed decision-making, strengthen autonomy within family life, and help families guide digital practices at home.

Mariya Gabriel, UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Communication and Information, said, ‘This new Guide serves as a common foundation of knowledge that every parent should be able to access. Its publication today is, therefore, not the end of our work, but the beginning.’

UNESCO also highlighted the growing influence of AI on information consumption and communication practices. Citing research from the Reuters Institute, it said 15% of young adults aged 18 to 24 use AI weekly to access news, compared with 3% of older users.

The organisation called on regulators, media organisations, experts, and other stakeholders to help empower parents, children, and young people to navigate information ecosystems critically and confidently.

UNESCO said media and information literacy remains one of its core global programmes. Through these initiatives, UNESCO and its partners aim to strengthen critical thinking skills and digital competencies in response to rapid technological change.

Why does it matter?

The guide matters because debates over children’s online safety are moving beyond restrictions and platform rules alone. UNESCO’s approach places media literacy at the centre of child protection, arguing that young people also need support to understand information, assess risks, and navigate digital spaces critically.

It also highlights the role of families in digital governance. Where schools have not yet integrated media and information literacy into curricula, parents and caregivers often become the first line of support against misinformation, harmful content, cyberbullying, and AI-shaped information environments.

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IWF challenges misconceptions about child abuse detection technologies

The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) has published a new analysis aimed at countering what it describes as persistent misconceptions about technologies used to detect child sexual abuse material (CSAM) online.

According to the organisation, public discussions increasingly focus on privacy and surveillance concerns while overlooking the role these technologies play in identifying and removing illegal content at scale.

The article argues that detection tools are not experimental technologies but rather adaptations of established cybersecurity methods already used throughout the digital ecosystem.

The IWF highlights hash matching technologies, which compare the mathematical signatures of files against databases of known illegal content, as a long-established and widely used approach to content detection.

The IWF stresses that these systems do not involve mass surveillance and do not require access to the contents of private communications.

The organisation also points to perceptual hashing technologies such as PhotoDNA, which can identify known abuse images even when files have been modified or resized. Similar approaches are commonly used in cybersecurity for malware detection, phishing prevention and file verification.

According to the IWF, the principles behind child protection technologies are therefore consistent with existing online security practices.

The article further argues that no single technology can effectively address the challenge of child sexual abuse material online. Instead, platforms require multiple layers of protection, including known-content detection, identification of previously unknown material, behavioural analysis, reporting mechanisms and human moderation.

The IWF warns that limiting detection capabilities would reduce the ability of platforms and law enforcement authorities to identify abuse and protect victims.

Why does it matter?

The publication contributes to an increasingly important policy debate over how to balance privacy, encryption and child protection online. As governments consider new online safety laws and content moderation requirements, questions about whether detection technologies constitute surveillance have become central to discussions involving regulators, technology companies and civil society groups.

The IWF’s intervention also highlights a broader governance challenge. While privacy advocates warn against measures that could weaken encryption or expand monitoring, child protection organisations argue that effective detection capabilities remain essential for identifying abuse, removing illegal content and supporting law enforcement investigations. The outcome of these debates could shape future approaches to online safety, platform accountability and digital rights worldwide.

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OECD examines young people’s social media use

The OECD has warned that young people are growing up in a social media age that offers opportunities for creativity and connection, but also creates risks for learning, well-being and online safety.

In a new Digital Economy Paper, ‘Growing up in the social media age’, the OECD reviews research on young people’s social media use and analyses data from the 2022 Programme for International Student Assessment. The paper focuses mainly on 15-year-olds and examines links between social media use, academic outcomes, creative thinking and policy responses.

The OECD says social media is almost universal among 15-year-olds. Around 95% report browsing social media daily, while 88% report communicating or sharing digital content on social platforms. On average, 15-year-olds across the OECD spend almost 35 hours a week on social media.

The paper says the evidence on social media and well-being remains complex. Excessive use is often associated with negative outcomes, but correlations do not prove that social media directly causes lower academic performance, poorer mental health or reduced well-being.

The OECD finds that moderate social media use is associated with stronger academic performance than either no use or heavy use. Mathematics performance is highest among students who use social media moderately, while performance tends to decline as time spent on social media exceeds 3 hours a day.

Creative thinking follows a similar pattern. Scores peak at moderate levels of browsing social media, usually one to three hours per day, but decline when students spend more than one hour communicating or sharing digital content.

The paper also notes that school mobile phone bans are becoming more common, but implementation remains difficult. Across the OECD, 29% of 15-year-olds in schools that ban mobile phones still reported using their phone at school several times a day.

The OECD says governments need balanced policies that help young people benefit from social media while protecting them from risks, and that safeguards should also respect freedom of expression, privacy, innovation and fair competition.

Why does it matter?

The OECD paper is useful because it pushes the debate beyond a simple ‘ban or allow’ framing. It shows that young people’s social media use is widespread and often excessive, yet moderate use can be associated with positive outcomes. For policymakers, the challenge is to design rules on school phone use, age limits and platform obligations that protect children without cutting them off from digital participation, creativity and social connection.

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Digital harms and child protection drive major Criminal Code reforms in Canada

Canada has enacted new criminal justice legislation aimed at strengthening protections for children, restoring mandatory minimum sentences for serious sexual offences and expanding legal tools to combat online exploitation and digital abuse. The Protecting Victims Act has been presented as a major update to the Criminal Code.

The law increases penalties for offences including sexual abuse, voyeurism, sextortion and the non-consensual sharing of intimate images, including AI-generated or digitally manipulated sexual deepfakes. Authorities have also been given enhanced powers to pursue offenders operating across borders.

Additional provisions extend investigative timeframes and require internet service providers to retain certain data for longer periods, improving access to evidence in cases involving online exploitation and abuse. The legislation also introduces a new criminal offence targeting the recruitment of minors into criminal activity.

Officials said the reforms are intended to strengthen enforcement capabilities and promote greater consistency in sentencing for serious offences, while preserving limited judicial discretion where mandatory penalties would be clearly disproportionate.

Why does it matter?

The reforms reflect how child protection laws are evolving to address increasingly digital forms of exploitation. Offences such as sextortion, non-consensual image sharing and AI-generated sexual deepfakes have created new challenges for law enforcement and courts, requiring legal frameworks that can respond to technology-enabled harms as effectively as traditional offences.

The legislation also highlights a broader policy trend towards stronger investigative powers and cross-border enforcement cooperation in cases involving online abuse. As criminal activity increasingly relies on digital platforms and international networks, governments are seeking new tools to obtain evidence, identify offenders and protect victims while balancing privacy, due process and judicial oversight.

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EU and OECD launch AI literacy framework for schools

The European Commission and the OECD have presented a new AI literacy framework for primary and secondary education, aimed at helping schools prepare learners for a world increasingly shaped by AI technologies.

The AI Literacy Framework was unveiled on 18 June during the European Digital Education Hub flagship event in Brussels. The event, titled ‘Collaborate for Impact: Advancing European Digital Education and Skills’, brought together policymakers, educators, experts, and stakeholders from across Europe.

Developed with support from international experts, including CodeAI, the framework provides a common reference point for integrating AI literacy across education systems. It is accompanied by practical classroom examples for primary and secondary levels to help educators translate AI literacy into learning experiences.

The framework defines AI literacy as the combination of technical knowledge, durable skills and future-ready attitudes needed to participate effectively in a world influenced by AI. It aims to help learners engage with, create with, manage, and shape AI while critically evaluating its benefits, risks, and ethical implications.

The European Commission said AI is reshaping how people learn, work, communicate, and make decisions. It said education systems need to prepare young people to navigate AI in daily life and use it responsibly.

The framework defines AI literacy as the combination of technical knowledge, durable skills and future-ready attitudes needed to participate effectively in a world influenced by AI.

According to the Commission, 68% of teenagers already use AI tools, yet many education systems still lack structured approaches for integrating AI into teaching and learning. Addressing these barriers could help learners use AI more creatively, ethically, and effectively.

The framework is intended for teachers, education leaders, policymakers, and learning designers. It offers guidance on curriculum integration, school-level AI literacy initiatives, policy development, and the design of educational content and teacher training materials.

The framework is structured around four dimensions that describe how learners engage with, create with, manage, and shape AI. It also includes 19 competences organised around knowledge, skills, and attitudes, along with learner expectations, learning scenarios, and classroom examples.

The Commission said the framework supports the EU’s ambition to deliver high-quality, inclusive, and future-oriented digital education. It also contributes to the Digital Education Action Plan and the Union of Skills by helping learners develop competences for a digital and AI-driven society.

The framework complements several European initiatives and policy priorities, including the PISA 2029 Media and AI Literacy assessment, the Digital Education Action Plan 2021-2027, updated ethical guidelines for educators on AI use, the AI Act, and the European Digital Competence Framework.

Why does it matter?

AI is rapidly becoming a foundational digital skill, comparable to information literacy or internet literacy. As AI tools become increasingly integrated into education, work and everyday life, schools face growing pressure to help students understand not only how to use these technologies, but also how to evaluate their outputs, recognise their limitations and engage with them responsibly.

The framework also represents an important step towards harmonising AI education across Europe. By providing common competences, classroom examples and guidance for educators, it creates a bridge between AI policy objectives and practical teaching. This could help ensure that future generations develop the skills needed to participate in an AI-driven society while supporting broader European goals related to digital skills, innovation and trustworthy AI.

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Meta expands AI-powered teen safety protections across its platforms

Meta has announced new teen safety updates across Instagram, Facebook, and Messenger, including expanded age-appropriate content settings, AI-powered age detection, and new parental notification tools.

Meta said the updates are designed to ensure teens receive appropriate protections by default, give parents greater visibility into online activity and strengthen safeguards that support young people’s well-being.

Meta said its 13+ default content setting, recently introduced in India, is now rolling out globally across Instagram, Facebook, and Messenger. The setting is designed to limit exposure to age-inappropriate content by default, drawing on established content-rating principles and parent feedback.

On Facebook, the 13+ default setting is intended to hide content considered inappropriate for teens in areas such as Feed and Reels. It also limits teens’ ability to interact with Profiles, Pages, Groups, and Events that primarily post inappropriate content.

On Messenger, the 13+ default setting limits teens’ ability to view links to inappropriate Facebook content or chat with accounts that primarily share it.

Meta is also expanding its use of AI-powered age estimation systems to identify accounts that may belong to underage users. The company said the system analyses profile context, including birthday celebrations, school-grade mentions, posts, comments, bios, and captions, to assess whether an account is likely to belong to someone underage.

The company said it is adding visual analysis as another detection technique. According to Meta, the technology analyses photos and videos for general indicators associated with age, such as physical characteristics, but does not identify individuals and does not use facial recognition.

Meta said combining visual signals with text and interaction analysis could increase the number of underage accounts it identifies and removes. The technology will be expanded across additional parts of its apps, including Instagram Reels, Instagram Live, and Facebook Groups.

Instagram will also notify supervising parents if a teen repeatedly searches for terms related to suicide or self-harm within a short period, subject to supervision settings. Meta said the feature has been rolled out to supervising parents in the EU, Brazil, and India, with parents and teens receiving notifications that the alerts are on the way.

Parents using supervision can now manage their teens’ activity through Meta’s Family Center across Instagram, Meta Horizon, Facebook, and Messenger. Meta said parents will also be able to see a more holistic view of teen activity across its apps in the coming months, including aggregated time spent.

Why does it matter?

The announcement reflects a broader shift towards age-appropriate design, where platforms increasingly rely on default protections and automated systems rather than expecting young users or parents to configure safety settings themselves. AI-based age detection is becoming a central tool in efforts to identify underage users and enforce platform safeguards at scale.

The update also highlights ongoing debates about the balance between child protection, privacy and platform accountability. While automated age-estimation technologies may help improve online safety, regulators and civil society groups continue to scrutinise their accuracy, transparency and potential impact on users’ rights. As governments around the world consider stricter child online safety requirements, platform approaches such as Meta’s may influence future regulatory expectations.

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UNESCO backs new initiative against online hate speech

Organisations and experts in Kyrgyzstan have launched the country’s first multistakeholder coalition focused on online harmful content and content moderation, with support from UNESCO and the European Union.

The Aikyn Sanarip coalition was launched in Bishkek on 17 June, ahead of the UN International Day for Countering Hate Speech. It brings together civil society, media representatives, government bodies, academics, international organisations and bloggers.

UNESCO said the coalition will provide a platform for dialogue on freedom of expression, digital rights, online safety and greater accountability from digital platforms.

The launch also featured the first national study on freedom of expression and content moderation in Kyrgyzstan. The research examines how hate speech spreads across digital platforms, how content is moderated in Kyrgyz-language digital spaces, and where legal and institutional gaps remain.

UNESCO said users in Kyrgyzstan increasingly encounter hate speech, disinformation and online harassment. At the same time, the country lacks a clear legal definition of hate speech, and mechanisms for addressing harmful content remain fragmented.

The European Union supported the forum under UNESCO’s Social Media 4 Peace project, which promotes multistakeholder responses to harmful online content while protecting freedom of expression.

Why does it matter?

The launch shows how online hate speech and harmful content are becoming governance issues beyond major platform markets. Kyrgyzstan’s new coalition links digital rights, online safety and platform accountability, while also highlighting a difficult balance: tackling hate speech and disinformation without undermining freedom of expression. The initiative may offer a model for multistakeholder responses in countries where legal frameworks and platform moderation practices remain underdeveloped.

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