A practitioner’s guide to children’s rights online
As an educational practitioner, you are responsible for upholding and promoting the rights of all children as specified in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). These rights also apply online, but many children (as well as parents and carers) may not be aware of this. This guide will provide information and advice on how you can educate learners to exercise their rights online, and how you can fulfil your responsibilities to help learners keep safe and secure online.
How do children’s rights apply online?
The rights set out in the UNCRC also apply to children’s online experiences, although there are some rights that are more immediately relevant than others. Responsibility for upholding these rights lies with you and your school (Article 3 outlines that ‘Everyone who works with children should always do what is best for each child’). But it is also the responsibility of local and national governments and online service providers, such as social media companies, website operators and gaming platforms.
Specific rights that directly relate to learners’ use and experiences of online technology include the following:
- Article 6 – the right to grow up to be healthy
- Article 12 – a child’s right to a voice in decisions that affect them
- Articles 13 and 17 – the right to information that is honest and understandable
- Article 15 – the right to meet with friends and join groups
- Article 16 – the right to privacy
- Article 19 – the right to be kept safe
- Article 28 – the right to learn and attend education
- Article 31 – the right to relax and play
- Article 34 – the right to protection from sexual abuse
- Article 36 – the right to protection from harmful behaviours
- Article 39 – the right to get help and support in the event of being abused
- additional protocols related to child exploitation and child sexual abuse content
You can use these training resources for teachers from the Children’s Commissioner for Wales to help you and your colleagues learn more about the UNCRC.
What laws exist to protect learners online?
There are several laws in Wales and the UK that apply to online behaviour, including laws around harassment, malicious communications, the creation and sharing of indecent images of children, illegal content and hate speech. This guide from the NSPCC provides a brief overview of some laws around online behaviour. The Children’s Code came into force on 2 September 2021, setting out a data protection code of practice for online services. While schools do not fall under the scope of the code, services used by the school may be in scope. You should seek advice about this from your data protection officer (DPO). Further information about the Children’s Code is available in a ‘Views from the experts’ article from the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) in ‘Keeping safe online’.
In 2021, the UK Government presented the draft Online Safety Bill intended to introduce laws that will:
- protect children and adults from harmful content
- prevent the spread of illegal content
Ofcom has been appointed as the UK regulator.
It is important to make learners aware of laws that relate to their online behaviour as well as laws that exist to protect them from harm or abuse. It is important to be aware of legislative changes related to the digital world and consider how they might affect the online behaviours, habits, wellbeing and safety of your learners.
How can I support learners to understand and exercise their rights online?
Education
It is important to provide opportunities for your learners to understand more about their rights and how they relate to their online experiences. This will help you to fulfil your responsibilities in educating learners about their rights, but it will also allow them to develop the knowledge and skills to keep themselves and others safe online, to recognise when their rights aren’t being respected, and to empower them to take positive action to exercise their rights online.
Regular discussion
Regularly exploring online issues related to children’s rights can be an effective way to develop both their understanding and their strategies for managing risk online. You may wish to use news stories or case studies as a way in to explore these issues. For older learners, discussing the challenges around upholding rights online and critically evaluating the role of online platforms and other stakeholders can be effective methods for educating learners on their rights and how to exercise them. Learners may share experiences that constitute a safeguarding disclosure so you should always follow your school’s safeguarding procedures, and inform the designated safeguarding person (DSP).
Empower responsibility
Consider opportunities for learners to take responsibility online for promoting their rights and helping others. For example, introducing initiatives such as peer mentors, digital leaders or youth ambassadors can empower learners to exercise their rights and work to uphold the rights of their peers.
Enable the voice of youth
Article 12 of the UNCRC outlines the importance of children having a voice in decisions that affect them. Many schools have school councils or other processes to give learners a voice in school. Throughout your work in school, consider whether these processes allow learners to give input on decisions made to protect them online (such as decisions around online safety education, security and other safety processes such as filtering and monitoring). Formation of an online safety group that includes all relevant stakeholders in the school community can be one approach to enabling learners’ voices in safety discussions. The 360 safe Cymru self-review tool for schools provides further information on this and other ways to develop school policy and practice.
Where can I get help and support?
You should always follow your school’s safeguarding procedures to report concerns about a learner’s safety or wellbeing online. The designated safeguarding person (DSP) will then seek external support when required.
Educational practitioners requiring support with any online safety issues, whether it concerns learners, themselves or their organisation, can contact the Professionals Online Safety Helpline for more advice and suggested courses of action for managing online incidents involving members of the school community.
Further information and research on promoting children’s rights in school can be found on the Children’s Commissioner for Wales website: