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Keep up to date with the latest development on data protection, children’s rights in the digital environment and more with our news articles and press releases.


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A group of children sit on the porch playing on digital devices. A young boy is on the left, playing on an iPad. A slightly older girl sits in the middle, on a phone, smiling at the screen, and the eldest, but still a young girl with plats, sits side on, cross-legged, holding and smiling at an iPad. There is a very positive mood to the photo.

5Rights celebrates Safer Internet Day 2025 

Safer Internet Day is beyond a celebration. From Dublin to Manila, we’re calling for children’s rights to be respected by design and default.

A young black girl on a laptop. She is smiling and waves at the laptop in front of her, which suggests she is on a video call.

In a major win for 5Rights, the UK Government has introduced a legal requirement for online services to consider children’s rights and needs when processing their data, by design and default. This move emboldens the Age Appropriate Design Code, strengthening protections to children’s data.

Beyond voluntary: the corporate duty to protect children’s rights

Beyond voluntary: the corporate duty to protect children’s rights

Commercial practices continue to put profits above children’s rights. If we want children’s rights upheld online, we need to shift from voluntary measures to coherent, enforceable regulations.

A row of EU Flags in front of the European Union Commission building in Brussels. It is a bright, sunny day. In the top left of the image, you can see clear blue skies. The sun is bouncing off the glass and the metal grid that sits in front of it.

New EU Commissioners commit to protect children online – will they walk the talk?

5Rights calls for a comprehensive framework to make the encouraging sentiments of the newly agreed European Commissioners a reality.

A close-up of a little boy in a teal hoodie on a laptop. He is lent over a yellow desk and has his left thumb resting on the trackpad, seemingly navigating the laptop. He is wide-eyed and very engaged.

Win for children: UK make safety by design a strategic priority

The UK Government has announced new statutory strategic priorities on the enforcement of the Online Safety Act, instructing Ofcom to enforce safety by design. A big step for children’s safety on World Children’s Day.

A wider view of a laptop with hands typing, surrounded by floating digital icons representing AI, cloud, education, and data analytics. The icons are part of a digital overlay against a connected network background, emphasizing themes of digital regulation, technology, and online interaction. This image is a broader view, capturing the context of the close-up shown above on the same page.

UK regulators must unite to close gaps in digital regulations 

UK regulators must close gaps in digital regulations to protect children online, focusing on risks from EdTech and AI while fostering a harmonised, clear and coherent approach to digital regulation.

Online Safety Act one year on: Ofcom must fix holes in regulation   

Online Safety Act one year on: Ofcom must fix holes in regulation   

Today marks one year since the Online Safety Act was passed into UK law. We recognise the scale of Ofcom’s task but do not believe the current proposals create the online world envisioned by the legislation.

Prince Harry is walking across a stage. Holding a microphone in his right hand. He is wearing a suit. In the background you can see the text 'The Archewell Foundation' and below that and bigger 'The Parents' Network'. Around the text is screenshots of phone backgrounds of children.

Prince Harry appeals for a better digital future for children

In his address at the Clinton Global Initiative, the Duke of Sussex put forward a rousing appeal to hold digital platforms accountable and put an end to the online harm felt by children.

An image of the ITU/UNESCO Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development Fall Meeting 2024, Convene, New York, NY, USA, 20 September 2024. A room full of smiling faces. All are dressed formally and visibly from all around the world.

Meaningful connectivity is about more than just broadband

In attending the UNESCO Broadband Commission Annual Fall Meeting, 5Right’s Executive Director, Leanda Barrington-Leach affirmed to attendees that plans for universal broadband connectivity must ensure the development needs and well-being of children are protected.

Two white teens are on their phones. The focus of the image is on their hands interacting with the phones, with their faces and upper body not visible to the image.

New UK Bill to strengthen regulations protecting children online 

Member of Parliament to introduce new legislation that could strengthen children’s rights online. The ‘Digital Safety and Data Protection Bill’ will have implications for the Online Safety Act, children’s data protection, and phones in schools.

Two women and three men appeared on a red-carpeted stage. They are standing in front of a graphic that consists of red light beams being intersected by red circles. The graphic includes the words 'International Legal Conference on Online Harms 2024'.

Malaysia set to introduce Online Safety Bill

5Rights participated in the International Legal Conference on Online Harms in Malaysia to highlight the importance of age-appropriate design in protecting children’s rights and ensuring their safety in the digital environment.

A middle-aged woman with red curly hair is sitting on the sofa with a laptop on her lap next to a blonde boy wearing rounded glasses on a tablet. Both subjects are looking at the boy's tablet and smiling.

Parents should not face the battle against online harms alone

Families are concerned about the digital landscape and how it impacts children’s livelihoods. At the 57th regular session of the Human Rights Council, 5Rights advocated for the need to address these problems at the point of design.