Better Internet for Kids

In April 2022, the Children's Ombudsman, the Media Committee and Personal Data Protection  issued new guidelines for parents, guardians and staff in school and after-school activities concerning the internet, social media and children. The Guidelines contain the following three elements: 
- guidelines for the person responsible for the protection of children in a digital environment;
- guidelines for staff in children's school, leisure, sports, and leisure activities; and
- guidance for parents in relation to the Internet, social media, and privacy.

On 1st of January 2020 the UNCRC was officially incorporated in the Swedish legislation (The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child Act (2018:1197)). Incorporation of the CRC gives it the status of Swedish law, entailing a clearer obligation on courts and legal practitioners to consider the rights that follow from the CRC in deliberations and assessments that are part of decision-making processes in cases and matters concerning children.
(Source: https://www.informationsverige.se/).

The instructional principles for inclusive media literacy help media educators in different fields to reflect and find ways to improve their own practice. Below you will find a PDF and a video series for your convenience. More than 100 professionals developing and implementing media literacy or media-related skills in their own practice have been consulted in the process of creating the instructional principles. The principles are based on a survey and individual interviews of professionals.

The Directive regulates business practices that are unfair, misleading or aggressive. It aims to increase consumers’ trust and confidence while shopping offline and online. It explicitly says that children cannot be encouraged directly to buy things or persuade their parents or other adults to buy advertised products for them (‘pester power’). Such encouragement is an unfair commercial practice in all cases. In order to help businesses comply, the European Commission published guidelines in 2021. The guidelines have specific sections on social media marketing, and on influencers.

The Violence Prevention Agreement covers the prevention and combating of various forms of interpersonal violence. The main focus is on violence against children, while new topics include violence against the elderly and mental violence. Hate crimes, which have received less attention so far, have also been addressed to some extent.

The initiative to reduce the voting age from 18 to 16 occurred through the Electoral Law Amendment Act 2007, indicating that young people are invited to contribute to political decisions and democracy.
(Source: Website).

Entities responsible for implementation: Federal Chancellery Republic of Austria / Bundeskanzleramt Österreich.

"Young Ireland is the new policy framework for children and young people aged 0-24. It covers the period from 2023-2028, and envisages an Ireland in which all children and young people can fully access their rights. It is focused on tackling the biggest challenges that affect children and young people in Ireland today, and setting up robust structures so children’s rights are foremost whenever we make decisions affecting the lives of children and young people.
(Source: https://www.gov.ie/).

The objectives of the Act is to promote young people’s social inclusion and opportunities for exerting an influence; improve their skills and capabilities to function in society; support their growth, independence and sense of community and facilitate the acquisition of knowledge, adoption of skills and pursuit of free-time hobbies and activities in civic society; as well as to promote non-discrimination and realisation of civic rights while improving young people’s growth and living conditions.

In the Netherlands, a Youth Council on digitalisation was established in September 2023, together with UNICEF. Children aged 11 to 17 advise the Minister for Digitalisation on relevant topics they encounter in their daily lives. The outcomes are fed into national policy on protecting children in the digital world. This initiative focuses on youth participation by safeguarding children's rights in the digital environment. Children aged 10 to 16 are trained to discuss digital matters that influence their lives, such as cyberbullying, online safety, and positive online content.