Global

Overview

Every child has the same rights, both offline and online. To ensure that no child is left behind, we work multilaterally to give space to children, represent their voices and advocate for them and their needs. We collaborate with key partners, including the United Nations, other intergovernmental bodies, and multilateral initiatives, to drive meaningful change, establish new global norms and create a safer and better online environment for all children.

Children’s experiences

Nearly 2.5 billion children are growing up in a world where the boundaries of the physical and the digital are increasingly blurred. Globally, one in three internet users is under 18. 76% of children worldwide aged 8 to 18 report having encountered online risks and most adolescents report spending more than 30 hours a week on digital devices. 5Rights’ Pathways: How digital design puts children at risk (and Disrupted Childhood: The cost of persuasive design, Risky by Design, Twisted Toys) demonstrates that the challenges children face in the digital world are clear design choices that tech companies make to maximise engagement and prioritise their profits over children’s best interests.

Spotlight: General comment No. 25

“The rights of every child must be respected, protected and fulfilled in the digital environment.”

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) has long-established obligations to protect children’s rights. Published in 2021, General comment No. 25 clarified how children’s rights apply in relation to the digital environment.

It emphasises States’ and companies’ duties to protect and respect children’s rights in the digital world. In the 5 years since its development, UNCRC General comment No. 25 has informed, accelerated, and directly shaped laws, regulation, and normative frameworks at the global, regional, and national levels.

As chair of the steering committee, 5Rights led consultations with over 40 states, hundreds of civil society organisations, 50 experts, and consulted 709 children and young people from 27 countries.

Our work across the World

5Rights engages across all continents with global and regional organisations and networks, such as the OECD, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), and the Global Privacy Assembly, where 5Rights was recognised for its outstanding leadership at the intersection of privacy, data protection, and children’s rights with the inaugural Global Privacy Assembly Privacy and Human Rights Award at RightsCon 2025 in Taipei. The Global Privacy Assembly’s recognition of 5Rights’ impact underscores the urgent need for continued action to protect and champion children’s rights online.

General comment No. 25 serves as the foundation for our ongoing efforts. In 2023, all 193 UN member-states unanimously adopted a resolution on the rights of the child in the digital environment which, following extensive engagement by 5Rights, reiterates states’ duty to mandate corporate due diligence and ensure companies respect children’s rights.

A year later, the Global Digital Compact (GDC) was unanimously adopted at the UN Summit of the Future. Following engagement by a 5Rights-led global coalition of 14 children’s rights organisations, the final text recommits states to coherent regulation, meaningful implementation, and international alignment to protect children’s rights in the digital world.