North America
5Rights collaborates with a wide multi-stakeholder coalition to support legislative initiatives across North America and ensure children’s online experiences are safe by design.
Overview
While American companies have significantly shaped the internet as children know it today, there is a growing recognition across the US and Canada of the critical need for privacy and safety by design and default for children. This shift is reflected in laws inspired by and aligning with the standards of the Age Appropriate Design Code, backed by large multi-stakeholder coalitions. Several US states have passed legislation, and Canada is working towards stronger protections and the strengthening of children’s rights at the federal level.
“We must implement common sense regulations worldwide to ensure that new technologies make us healthier and better connected, not the opposite.”
Natalie, 17
Children’s experiences
In North America, over 80 million children navigate a digital world optimised for commercial exploitation. 96% of the 50 websites most popular with children in Canada employ an average of five trackers to continually collect data from children and, although 80% have privacy settings, only 12% set them to private by default. As a result of manipulative design, an overwhelming majority of teenagers in the US report checking messages or notifications as soon as they appear, and many feel anxious when they don’t have their phones.
Our work in North America
5Rights collaborates with a wide multi-stakeholder coalition to support legislative initiatives across North America. In Canada, where 7 in 10 Canadians support stronger regulation of digital products and services, 5Rights works to ensure federal and provincial legislation reflects the broad consensus that children must have distinct protections. We engage with legislators, regulators, and civil society to hold tech companies accountable to integrate children’s privacy, safety, and right by design and default.
In the US, our efforts have led to the successful passage of laws, starting with California’s groundbreaking Age Appropriate Design Code (CAAADC), followed by similar legislation in Maryland, Nebraska and Vermont.
In Canada, 5Rights works with a diverse range of policymakers, regulators, civil society organizations, and academics. This collaboration has resulted in the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (OPC) making children’s privacy a strategic priority and working to develop a children’s privacy code.
Highlighted resources
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Meta settles in landmark child safety trial but stops short of meaningful default improvements
Facing a landmark trial over child safety, Meta agreed to pay close to $17 billion but the settlement leans on access restrictions and optional features, rather than fixing the engagement-driven design at the root of the harm by default.
More than half of US States sue Meta over addictive design practices
As over half of US States take Meta to court, evidence is mounting that Instagram and Facebook weren’t just careless with children’s safety but deliberately designed to be addictive.
Paediatricians press for age-appropriate design
New guidance from the American Academy of Pediatrics calls for systemic changes to platform design, with stronger defaults and protections for children.
Landmark verdict on Google and Meta shows why Age-Appropriate Design Codes are critical to protecting children online
A landmark jury ruling in California has found Meta and Google liable for designing products that addict and harm children.
