Session
Organizer 1: Civil Society, Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC)
Organizer 2: Civil Society, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Organizer 3: Civil Society, Asia-Pacific Group
Organizer 4: Civil Society, Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC)
Organizer 2: Civil Society, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Organizer 3: Civil Society, Asia-Pacific Group
Organizer 4: Civil Society, Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC)
Speaker 1: Shiva Bissessar, Civil Society, Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC)
Speaker 2: Christine Runnegar, Technical Community, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Speaker 3: Torsten Krause, Civil Society, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Speaker 4: Jutta Croll, Civil Society, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Speaker 5: Michiel Lüchinger, Civil Society, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Speaker 2: Christine Runnegar, Technical Community, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Speaker 3: Torsten Krause, Civil Society, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Speaker 4: Jutta Croll, Civil Society, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Speaker 5: Michiel Lüchinger, Civil Society, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Format
Roundtable
Duration (minutes): 60
Format description: We believe the round table format will provide an equal footing for participants to contribute to the session with facilitation by the moderator. Both onsite, and online, moderation of the session will be a critical factor towards success. The format will allow for free-flowing discussion and additionally the composition team has been reviewed to ensure that we have a diverse set of perspectives on this topic allowing for a gender balance, youth focus and informed perspective from SIDS. Given the complexity of the matter and the various angles to be considered, 60 minutes will be suitable to ventilate the various issues and allow for debate between our experts while also seeking to engage with our audience.
Duration (minutes): 60
Format description: We believe the round table format will provide an equal footing for participants to contribute to the session with facilitation by the moderator. Both onsite, and online, moderation of the session will be a critical factor towards success. The format will allow for free-flowing discussion and additionally the composition team has been reviewed to ensure that we have a diverse set of perspectives on this topic allowing for a gender balance, youth focus and informed perspective from SIDS. Given the complexity of the matter and the various angles to be considered, 60 minutes will be suitable to ventilate the various issues and allow for debate between our experts while also seeking to engage with our audience.
Policy Question(s)
How can SIDS and economies of the Global South demand that social media giants apply a more equitable approach to appropriating resources, for example, content moderation, to provide coverage for their territory?
What creative funding mechanisms can be used to ensure monies are dedicated to social protection for kids from online risks in parallel with the thrust towards resilient digital infrastructure and digital transformation advancement?
How can we ensure that interventions are customized to consider the cultural diversity of the region where they shall take place and stakeholders are receptive to, and trust, both the message and messenger?
What will participants gain from attending this session? Attendees will get an understanding of the severity of online threats, including cyberbullying and financial sextortion which may lead to teen suicide. Emerging threats will also be examined. Speakers will engage and discuss where responsibilities lie across several actors to ensure social protection of vulnerable age groups – examining role of the state, social media giants, telecoms and parents. Can banning kids from social media until they reach a certain age be a possible solution or does this bring about other risks for children that may rely on the Internet given their circumstances? Understanding the digital rights of children is critical. We intend to dissect approaches for delivery of interventions and examine the need for customized content for the intended stakeholders. Finally, we shall examine the issue of funding comprehensive safety programmes at a national/regional level and again examine how responsibilities may be linked to such a key enabling issue.
Description:
Recognition is required that with increased resilient infrastructure, there needs to be complementary attention to mitigating online risks faced by kids. The Caribbean has not escaped recent tragic incidents of Internet abuse possibly contributing to teen suicide linked to financial sextortion and cyberbullying. Small Island Developing States (SIDS) require direction in developing effective Internet Safety strategies in response. AI enabled attacks hastens the need for response. Under the "Building Digital Trust and Resilience" subtheme, we’ll explore areas including: Policy and Regulatory Frameworks: Examining innovative approaches to age-appropriate protections, including legal frameworks and age verification mechanisms that respect children's evolving capacities and their rights to information and freedom of expression while ensuring safety. We will debate the controversial proposition of limiting internet access for children under 16 against alternative safeguarding measures. Implementation Methodologies: We shall contrast the ease of rolling out safety guidelines and online training programmes against the effectiveness of customized real world physical interventions and meeting stakeholders where they are. We shall identify transferable best practices for resource-constrained environments. Sustainable Funding Models: Exploring funding mechanisms including public-private partnerships and corporate social responsibility frameworks that have demonstrated measurable impact in developed nations which may be adopted by SIDS. The workshop will feature perspectives from a cybersecurity expert representing SIDS, a digital child rights advocate, an Internet privacy expert, and a youth representative, all hailing from multiple regions. Through structured dialogue and collaborative problem-solving, participants will develop a practical approach for establishing essential aspects of Online Safety for kids. This session moves beyond theoretical discussion to focus on actionable solutions with demonstrated effectiveness, creating pathways for immediate implementation across the Global South and fostering international cooperation to protect children in increasingly complex digital environments. This workshop will consider various issues surrounding this topic leading to positive engagement and interventions with stakeholders.
Recognition is required that with increased resilient infrastructure, there needs to be complementary attention to mitigating online risks faced by kids. The Caribbean has not escaped recent tragic incidents of Internet abuse possibly contributing to teen suicide linked to financial sextortion and cyberbullying. Small Island Developing States (SIDS) require direction in developing effective Internet Safety strategies in response. AI enabled attacks hastens the need for response. Under the "Building Digital Trust and Resilience" subtheme, we’ll explore areas including: Policy and Regulatory Frameworks: Examining innovative approaches to age-appropriate protections, including legal frameworks and age verification mechanisms that respect children's evolving capacities and their rights to information and freedom of expression while ensuring safety. We will debate the controversial proposition of limiting internet access for children under 16 against alternative safeguarding measures. Implementation Methodologies: We shall contrast the ease of rolling out safety guidelines and online training programmes against the effectiveness of customized real world physical interventions and meeting stakeholders where they are. We shall identify transferable best practices for resource-constrained environments. Sustainable Funding Models: Exploring funding mechanisms including public-private partnerships and corporate social responsibility frameworks that have demonstrated measurable impact in developed nations which may be adopted by SIDS. The workshop will feature perspectives from a cybersecurity expert representing SIDS, a digital child rights advocate, an Internet privacy expert, and a youth representative, all hailing from multiple regions. Through structured dialogue and collaborative problem-solving, participants will develop a practical approach for establishing essential aspects of Online Safety for kids. This session moves beyond theoretical discussion to focus on actionable solutions with demonstrated effectiveness, creating pathways for immediate implementation across the Global South and fostering international cooperation to protect children in increasingly complex digital environments. This workshop will consider various issues surrounding this topic leading to positive engagement and interventions with stakeholders.
Expected Outcomes
Tangible outcomes will include recommendations for customised content creation and advice for policy makers with respect to interactions with social media giants and sources of possible funding. We intend to publicize these outputs using mechanisms which resonate with authorities leveraging Caribbean based media houses and our own ability to write and publish relevant material on blogs and video blogs. Synergies with multilaterals and authorities responsible for creative sector thrusts and development of the orange economy will be explored. A grassroots approach is also expected to inform SIDS of these outcomes utilizing associations with civil society and youth focused organisations such as Global Shapers Community. Via our affiliations, we shall tap into both ISOC’s and Digital Chancen’s networks to disseminate outcomes. We expect the debate to continue in other Internet Governance fora where we have influence, including via the Caribbean Telecommunication Union, South School of Internet Governance, ICANN and IEEE.
Hybrid Format: Our onsite moderator has experience working with our online moderator, and both understand the importance of managing their respective audiences and coordinating where necessary to ensure a smooth session. The online moderator will be expected to monitor the chat and take note of questions for the session.
From session start, we may engage with attendees asking an open-ended question, such as what comes to mind when you think about online safety for children and then create an appropriate visualisation of responses. The moderator may use the topics established by our audience to influence the priority of prepared topics which the session intends to cover. As the workshop continues, we may craft questions to take a poll of the audience on feelings towards specific issues, leading to more quantitative responses and visualizations. These responses will then feed back into the ongoing debate and outcomes.
Slido for word-cloud and polling features.