With an estimated 1.5 billion children out of school around the world and widespread social distancing measures keeping children confined to their homes, education and socialization have moved online.
Not only are many additional children joining the online world for the first time, but children are also spending longer online than ever before.
Italian operator Telecom Italia reported a more than 70 per cent increase in internet traffic over its landline network in mid-March, which was largely attributed to online gaming platforms such as Fortnite.
Facebook, meanwhile, reports new usage records almost every day across all of its platforms. In places hit hardest by the virus, such as New York – at time of writing, the current global epicentre of the COVID-19 pandemic – messaging, voice and video calling have more than doubled on its Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp platforms.
For many children, the global lockdown has also meant going online earlier than may have been expected. One parent explained to ITU News that the sudden shift to home schooling has meant that their children – aged 9 and 11 – have been given used mobile phones earlier than planned, simply so that they can keep up to date with schoolwork, educational activities and friends in this extraordinary time.
This sudden and dramatic rise of screen time is part of a wider trend. In February, a report by the Association of Play Industries found that in less than a decade there has been a 50 per cent increase in children’s discretionary screen time.
For many parents, the question of how to ensure their children’s online safety is now more pressing than ever before.
What can parents do to minimize online risk? Here are some tips from the upcoming updated version of ITU’s Guidelines for Parents, Carers, Guardians, and Educators for Child Online Protection:
More tips and advice are available in the ITU’s Child Online Protection guidelines. For more advice, meet Sango, the new Child Online Protection Mascot created by children, for children!
The Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development’s Working Group on Child Online Safety, co-chaired by World Childhood Foundation USA and mobile operator Zain, recently released a set of recommendations for all stakeholders to improve child online safety. In view of the COVID-19 pandemic, these recommendations were reflected in the Commission’s new Agenda for Action: For Faster and Better Recovery. The newly adopted Agenda outlines immediate measures that governments, industry, the international community and civil society can take to shore-up digital networks, strengthen capacity and boost digital access and inclusivity, with the aim of strengthening collective response to the COVID-19 crisis.
Help us protect children by signing the Child Online Safety Universal Declaration!
*ITU launched its Child Online Protection (COP) Initiative in November 2008. COP partners work together to create a safe and empowering online experience for children around the world, through the sharing of best practice guidelines for children, parents and educators, industry and policymakers.