But how do they know it is a child? Age assurance in the digital world
This 5Rights Foundation report addresses the need for age assurance in the digital world, focusing on protecting children online. It examines the reasons for age assurance, such as preventing access to harmful content and ensuring age-appropriate interactions. Admittedly, they have great potential but are undermined by the lack of common definitions, agreed standards, and regulatory oversight. The report outlines various methods, including self-declaration, hard identifiers, and biometric data, emphasising the importance of common standards and regulatory oversight.
Framing the Future: How the Model National Response framework is supporting national efforts to end child sexual exploitation and abuse online
The report “Framing The Future” is a review of the MNR that sets out how and where the Model National Response has been implemented in the six years since its introduction across 42 Alliance countries. The report does not intend to evaluate or assess country progress, capabilities or quality of services, but rather to illustrate efforts towards global learning and exchange.
Responsibile Innovation in Technology for Children (RITEC Phase 2)
The RITEC Phase 2 report investigates how digital play and digital games contribute to children’s well‑being, building on empirical research with hundreds of children across six countries. It expands the RITEC well‑being framework—autonomy, competence, emotions, relationships, creativity, identity, inclusion, and safety—and examines how specific design features in digital games can either support or undermine these dimensions.
The Metaverse, Extended Reality and Children
This report considers both positive and negative effects that virtual environments could have on children; the drivers of and predictions for the growth of the metaverse; and the regulatory and policy challenges posed by the metaverse. The report also recommends actions for government and private sector stakeholders to take in order to empower children and protect against or mitigate potential harms.
MO-CRIA: Child Rights Impact Self-Assessment Tool for Mobile Operators
Mobile operators affect children through the ways they manage their facilities and assets, and how they develop, produce, market and deliver products and services – whether directly or through business partners and suppliers. They have a responsibility to respect children’s rights throughout their operations and through their relationships with business partners and key stakeholders.
Digital Age Assurance Tools and Children's Rights Online across the Globe: A Discussion Paper
The UNICEF discussion paper examines how digital age‑assurance tools—including age estimation, age verification, and self‑declaration—intersect with children’s rights online across global jurisdictions. It argues that while age assurance is increasingly seen as essential for protecting children from harmful content, conduct, and contact, current approaches often fail to uphold the full spectrum of children’s rights, including privacy, participation, non‑discrimination, and access to information.
