Photo Unsplash/M. List The development of artificial intelligence is outpacing attempts to regulate its rapid implementation, exacerbating existing threats. UN calls for urgent action to protect children in digital spaces Human Rights
Today, more than 80 percent of young people aged 15 to 24 worldwide spend time online, and in low-income countries this group of Internet users is the largest.
The UN issued a warning Monday that when it comes to disinformation, online bullying and the dark side of artificial intelligence, younger generations are bearing the brunt. In a new policy brief published ahead of International Youth Day (August 12), the UN called on countries, technology companies, advertisers, media and researchers to prioritize the protection of children and their participation in the solution. challenges.
Last month, UN Secretary-General António Guterres called for a “Global Commitment to Child Safety in AI,” comparing emerging AI technologies to unproven drugs and demanding tighter controls.
“No child should be a guinea pig for unregulated AI… When a child is hurt, the answer should never be, “it’s all an algorithm,” Guterres said in July at the first Global Dialogue on AI Governance.
Online insecurity is not an accident
The report highlights that the threats young people face online are not spontaneous. They are a direct result of business models that monetize attention and personal data, as well as corresponding design decisions. Internet.
The development of artificial intelligence is outpacing attempts to regulate its rapid implementation, exacerbating existing threats – from deepfakes and generated content to exploitation using AI.
In addition, the report points to hidden advertising technologies that are used to increase online spending.
Not only the risk group
The report’s authors emphasize that children and youth are far from the only potential victims. They are content creators, advocates, and youth organizers.
However, the same online platforms that give power to such movements also expose their leaders—especially girls, minorities, and activists—to cyberbullying and surveillance.
The views of young people themselves need to be included in research and in the development of laws aimed at protecting information Wednesday, the authors of the report emphasized.
“Children and young people are among those most affected by today’s information crisis, and among those best positioned to help solve it,” said Charlotte Scaddan, UN Senior Adviser on Information Integrity. – Protecting young people and involving them in dialogue are not mutually exclusive goals. We need to do both.”
Next Steps
The report notes that governments and public organizations are increasingly bringing children’s online safety to the forefront of discussions on laws on intrusive design, targeted advertising, content moderation and privacy.
However, as AI becomes ubiquitous, the window of opportunity for embedding children’s rights into AI governance standards is rapidly closing.
The document suggests concrete steps: countries must formulate legal frameworks, technology companies must implement built-in child protection mechanisms, advertisers must put children’s rights before profits, media must create quality content for young audiences, experts – to close data gaps, especially in the Global South.
The UN continues to promote AI regulation, including through the Global Dialogue and the Independent International Scientific Panel on AI, a body created to assess the opportunities and risks of this technology.
“As digital technologies and As the information environment continues to evolve, the current moment gives us the opportunity to move from a declaration of principles to practical actions,” the report says.