This year, the Convention on the Rights of the Child has become the law in Sweden for children’s rights online, the Children’s Ombudsman, the Swedish Media Council and the Swedish Data Inspectorate have jointly produced a guide for actors responsible for social media, games and other digital environments. The guide aims to make the Internet a safer and more secure place for children and young people.

“Children and Young People’s Rights on Digital Platforms” addresses the actors who create, deliver and are responsible for the digital environments in which it is common to be children and young people. 

– From a children’s rights perspective, we have seen a great need for safe and secure digital environments that are adapted to children and young people. All those who create services for children and young people need, when designing the service, to focus on the best interests of the child and have the Convention on the Rights of the Child as their starting point, says Elisabeth Dahlin, the Children’s Ombudsman. 

The three authorities have different responsibilities for the protection of children and young people and for the reinforcement of rights. 

The aim of the guide is to offer general support mainly from a privacy perspective (in which the Data Protection Regulation, GDPR, is a central legislative act) and a children’s rights perspective (based on the Convention on the Rights of the Child, in force since January this year). The guide also includes advice based on the legislator’s intentions to protect children from the harmful influence of the media. 

– According to the GDPR, children’s personal data must be given special protection, because children may be less aware of possible risks, consequences and protective measures, as well as their rights regarding the processing of personal data, says Lena Lindgren Schelin, Director General of the Swedish Data Inspectorate. 

For children and young people, the digitisation of school and the availability of related devices has a very important impact on everyday life. According to the preschool curriculum, children will also have access to digital tools. After school, many children and young people spend their free time on streaming media, games and digital platforms. 

– It is so important that the actors offering services ensure that children and young people are protected from different types of harmful content, says Anette Novak, Director of the Swedish Media Council. barn-och-ungas-rattigheter-pa-digitala-plattformar   SOURCE: AUTORITA’ PER LA PROTEZIONE DEI DATI DELLA SVEZIA