The impact of General comment No. 25 in the UNCRC monitoring process and around the world
When a major guidance is published, what happens next? What impact does it have? Does it stimulate change?
In 2021, the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) adopted General comment No. 25 (GC25). This was a landmark development for children’s rights advocates, as the comment recognises that children’s rights apply fully and equally in the digital age:
- The comment clarifies that states must uphold children’s rights in digital environments.
- The comment also calls for comprehensive action across legislation, policy, regulation, education and corporate accountability.
How can we assess the comment’s impact, and how can we assess change? The impact of General comment No. 25 in the UNCRC review process, research undertaken by the team at the Digital Futures for Children centre, addressed these questions.
Research aims
This project examined how GC25 shaped global and national governance frameworks, how its principles are being taken up in practice, and where further action is needed to ensure real-world change for children.
The report addressed the following questions:
- How has GC25 has been recognised, adopted, and implemented?
- What enables or hinders the implementation of children’s rights in the digital environment as described by the general comment?
- Where evidence exists or is still needed, to assess both the realisation of the guidance provided by the general comment and its effectiveness in driving change?