The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) submitted detailed feedback to the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights (OHCHR), advocating for child safety measures that recognize the digital environment as a critical refuge and community space for young people worldwide, rather than simply focusing on restricting access to protect them.
- EFF stresses the need to consider children’s digital and offline safety as interconnected.
- Calls for youth participation and respect for privacy in digital safety regulations.
- Urges focus on systemic risks and corporate accountability rather than access restrictions.
What happened
The Electronic Frontier Foundation formally responded to the UN OHCHR's global consultation on child rights and safety in the digital environment. This consultation is part of the OHCHR’s project to prepare a report for the UN Human Rights Council's 64th session in early 2027, aimed at identifying risks to children’s safety online and recommending best practices globally. The OHCHR’s approach frames children’s safety through the full spectrum of their rights, including protection from violence, privacy, information access, freedom of expression, and participation.
EFF’s submission highlights that the digital environment serves as a vital safe space for millions of young people, especially those facing unsafe physical or family environments. The organization warned that regulatory responses focused on restricting young people’s access to online services or content can inadvertently make them less safe overall, even if some digital environment risks are marginally reduced.
Why it matters
This submission underscores the critical importance of viewing child safety online as inseparable from their experiences offline. For many youths, digital spaces are not merely entertainment or communication platforms but essential venues for information, self-expression, identity exploration, and community support, particularly for those marginalized or at risk in their physical environments.
EFF’s critique addresses global regulatory trends that often prioritize parental control over youth rights, neglecting young people’s voices and privacy. Its call to avoid broad access restrictions stresses that meaningful safety measures must respect young people’s autonomy and avoid trading protections against harms for restrictions on their fundamental rights, a balancing act increasingly challenged by current policy proposals.
What to watch next
Stakeholders worldwide will be paying close attention to the upcoming OHCHR report, which aims to synthesize diverse inputs including regional consultations and child perspectives. The report’s outcome could influence UN Human Rights Council policies and global digital safety frameworks, particularly regarding balancing protection and rights.
EFF and other digital rights advocates are likely to continue championing regulatory models that hold technology companies accountable for harmful design and data practices driving online risks to children. Monitoring how governments incorporate youth participation, privacy protections, and rights-based approaches into online safety regulations will be essential as this discourse progresses through 2027 and beyond.