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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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UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer delivers a speech from behind a wooden podium adorned with the royal coat of arms. The setting features two large British flags in the background and a formal interior with wooden paneling.
  • News
  • Child Rights
  • Online Harms
  • United Kingdom

5Rights and Children’s Coalition urge PM to protect online safety in UK-US trade talks

More than 20 child safety organisations and bereaved families urge UK PM to protect the Online Safety Act amid fears it could be weakened in UK–US trade negotiations.
A conference room. On two projector screens is a video testimony from a young Ghanaian person. Sitting on tables in the foreground, facing away from the camera and looking towards the screen is three African children.
  • News
  • AI
  • Child Rights
  • Africa

5Rights and partners organise first Children’s Global AI Summit on Africa

Children from across the continent assembled for the Children’s Global AI Summit in Kigali, Rwanda convened by 5Rights and partners.
  • Press Release
  • AI
  • Global

Reclaiming AI for the next generation: 5Rights unveils Children & AI Design Code 

5Rights unveils the Children & AI Design Code, a bold framework ensuring AI prioritises children’s rights, safety, and wellbeing in design and deployment.
A mixed raced teen boy has back turned to the camera, with his left hand raised in the area. He is wearing a light mint green polo. He appears to be in a learning environment, like a school. In between the camera and the room is a glass pane that has a speech mark icon in a light gray colour, with "AI" in the middle.
  • News
  • AI
  • European Union

AI systems that exploit the vulnerabilities of children are now illegal in the EU

Article 5 of the EU’s Artificial Intelligence Act is a true milestone, but more is required to protect children’s rights and needs by design and default.
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A wider shot showing both hands gripping a white video game controller, focused on a television screen with a blue-green blurred gaming scene in the background.
  • News
  • Gaming
  • United Kingdom

Research reveals “non-existent” enforcement of industry-led standards on loot boxes

New findings reinforce longstanding concerns from 5Rights about the inadequacy of industry self-regulation in protecting children from exploitative in-game purchases.
A wider view of a person sitting at a desk using a laptop, with the IEEE Standards Association website visible on the screen. The workspace includes a wooden table, a cup, and a plant in the softly lit background.
  • News
  • Age-Assurance
  • Global

Age checking systems can now be certified against 5Rights-led technical standard

The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers’ new certification on age assurance is built on the 2089.1 standard, co-developed by 5Rights Foundation as part of a broader set of standards grounded in 5Rights principles. 
A wider view showing a row of European Union flags in front of a modern, glass-fronted office building with a curved facade. The flags are aligned in front of the European Commission headquarters in Brussels.
  • News
  • Child Rights
  • European Union

EU guidelines map to 5Rights’ baseline, paving the way for overhaul of tech design for kids

5Rights welcomes the European Commission’s draft guidelines on Article 28 of the Digital Services Act – a recognition of our long-standing commitment to place children’s rights at the heart of platform responsibility and system design.
CPDP.ai 2025: Delivering on children’s rights, an opportunity for all? 
  • Events
  • Child Rights
  • Global

CPDP.ai 2025: Delivering on children’s rights, an opportunity for all? 

Four leading experts take us through whether the EU can show a way forward in the pursuit of children’s rights in the digital environment. Join 5Rights at this year’s CPDP conference.
A wider shot showing a child in a yellow-and-white striped shirt and light blue jeans sitting outdoors, intently looking at and using a smartphone with both hands.
  • News
  • Child Rights
  • United Kingdom

UK Government sets unambiguous direction for a safer online world 

5Rights welcomes the UK Government’s final Statement of Strategic Priorities, confirming safety by design as a cornerstone of tech regulation. However, more must be done to deliver on the Online Safety Act’s promises.
Baroness Beeban Kidron stands on a stage at the UN STI Forum, holding a microphone while addressing the audience. She wears a brown cardigan and long skirt. This is a wide shot of the picture shown above.
  • News
  • Child Rights
  • United Nations

“A different digital settlement for children” – implementation must follow Global Digital Compact commitments 

From the floor of the UN STI Forum, Baroness Beeban Kidron urged world leaders to build on the Global Digital Compact and renew their commitment to a digital future that works for children.
A siloheutte of a hand holding a smartphone horizontally in the foreground. It displays red text, 'Ofcom'. In the background, an out-of-focus monitor displays the Ofcom webiste.
  • News
  • Child Rights
  • Online Harms
  • United Kingdom

UK’s regulator Ofcom launches the country’s first Children’s Online Safety Code

The launch of the first Code marks a significant development in creating a safe digital environment for children, but, it’s not job done.
A vivid yellow sign from Elections Canada, displaying a maple leaf and bold black writing, signals a Canadian election voting site.
  • News
  • Child Rights
  • Canada

Canadian elections: a defining moment to hold tech accountable for children’s rights 

Next Monday, Canadians will be heading to the polling station, setting the course for the future of Canadian children’s rights in the digital world.
A graphic of seven professional head shots. They are in respective circular-edged boxes in a format of four on top and three on the bottom, and have a black and white filter. The background is a light mint green, and in the background are two thick squiggles of colour, an electric blue for 5Rights, and an apple red for LSE.
  • Events
  • AI
  • Global

Rewatch the virtual launch of the Children & AI Design Code

5Rights and the Digital Futures for Children centre are inviting the global community to speak with leading voices in digital governance alongside experts behind the Code.
Wide shot of the Global Age Assurance Standard Summit 2025 stage, showing Marie-Ève Nadeau presenting alongside a large screen displaying the 5Rights Foundation’s session title: “Beyond the Silver Bullet: Age Assurance and a Digital World that Respects Children’s Rights.”
  • News
  • Age-Assurance
  • Global

What happens once you know it’s a child? Rethinking age assurance for a rights-respecting digital world

Age assurance should recognise and empower children online, not exclude them. Done right, it can be a building block to create safe, age-appropriate digital spaces, grounded in children’s rights.
A wider shot of the same teenage girl seated comfortably on a couch at home. She is wearing a rust-orange sweatshirt, light blue ripped jeans, and white over-ear headphones, focused on her laptop. A yellow knitted blanket and blue wall add to the cozy setting. This image is a fuller version of the close-up shown above on the same page.
  • News
  • Online Harms
  • United Kingdom

UK’s online safety regulator launches first investigation under Online Safety Act 

Ofcom begins first Online Safety Act investigation into suicide forum. 5Rights urges firm action to protect children and calls for strong enforcement against harmful online services.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer delivers a speech from behind a wooden podium adorned with the royal coat of arms. The setting features two large British flags in the background and a formal interior with wooden paneling.
  • News
  • Child Rights
  • Online Harms
  • United Kingdom

5Rights and Children’s Coalition urge PM to protect online safety in UK-US trade talks

More than 20 child safety organisations and bereaved families urge UK PM to protect the Online Safety Act amid fears it could be weakened in UK–US trade negotiations.