Child Online and Social Media Safety
The CJCP’s work on initial work on cyberbullying arose from the 2008 National Schools Violence Study. Online experiences of bullying, or the use of technology in various forms of violence, was not included in the 2008 NSVS, but discussions with respondents showed it to be increasingly common. In 2009, the CJCP commenced a “pilot” study in three metropolitan areas in South Africa: Cape Town, Port Elizabeth and Johannesburg, to explore the degree to which, specifically, cyberbullying, was a concern for South African children living in urban areas, and to start a preliminary assessment of how common these experiences might be. At that point, there was little literature on cyberbullying within the South African context, and non within the regional context.
From there, the CJCP’s work on the online experiences of children grew. In 2012, a study conducted concurrent to the 2012 NSVS explored, at a national level, how children perceived their safety online, and the risks they faced, and whether and what strategies they put in place to navigate this risks. This marked a shift in the organization’s conceptualization of cyberbullying and “adverse” online experiences, from the idea of young users of technology merely as victims, to rather understanding children as users who may be victims, but who also have a sense of agency in how they use technology, and the online space.
The organisation now locates it’s work on children and the online world within a broader child rights and opportunities framework, one that differentiates risks from harms, and ensures that risks are minimized, harms prevented, and opportunities promoted. The organisation has worked with a range of government departments in South Africa, including the Department of Communications, and the Department of Basic Education, and was actively involved in the development of the National Children’s Empowerment and ICT strategy led by the Department of Communications.
The CJCP regularly makes submissions to both international and national consultations on matters relating to child online safety, and child online exploitation, including the Committee on the Rights of the Child’s Day of General Consultation on Digital Media and Children’s Rights; consultation undertaken for the preparation of the report by the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights on Information and communication technology and child sexual exploitation and the Film and Publication’s Board Draft Online Regulation Policy.
The CJCP regularly speaks at a range of international, regional and national forums on child online protection, and the promotion of child safety and opportunities.
From there, the CJCP’s work on the online experiences of children grew. In 2012, a study conducted concurrent to the 2012 NSVS explored, at a national level, how children perceived their safety online, and the risks they faced, and whether and what strategies they put in place to navigate this risks. This marked a shift in the organization’s conceptualization of cyberbullying and “adverse” online experiences, from the idea of young users of technology merely as victims, to rather understanding children as users who may be victims, but who also have a sense of agency in how they use technology, and the online space.
The organisation now locates it’s work on children and the online world within a broader child rights and opportunities framework, one that differentiates risks from harms, and ensures that risks are minimized, harms prevented, and opportunities promoted. The organisation has worked with a range of government departments in South Africa, including the Department of Communications, and the Department of Basic Education, and was actively involved in the development of the National Children’s Empowerment and ICT strategy led by the Department of Communications.
The CJCP regularly makes submissions to both international and national consultations on matters relating to child online safety, and child online exploitation, including the Committee on the Rights of the Child’s Day of General Consultation on Digital Media and Children’s Rights; consultation undertaken for the preparation of the report by the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights on Information and communication technology and child sexual exploitation and the Film and Publication’s Board Draft Online Regulation Policy.
The CJCP regularly speaks at a range of international, regional and national forums on child online protection, and the promotion of child safety and opportunities.
The African Declaration on Internet Rights and Freedoms
CJCP has endorsed The African Declaration on Internet Rights and Freedoms. CJCP has an ongoing interest in the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) as an effective tool for early crime and violence prevention.
You can add yourself as an endorser, either as an individual or as an organisation. Click on the logo above to visit the endorsement page.
You can add yourself as an endorser, either as an individual or as an organisation. Click on the logo above to visit the endorsement page.
Current Research Projects
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Global Kids Online (GKO): The CJCP is the South African lead on the Global Kids Online project, a global research initiative led by the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), and the UNICEF Office of Research. The GKO builds on previous research undertaken by the LSE and a number of European partners, through the EU-Kids Online. South Africa is one of four pilot countries (Argentina, Philippines and Serbia are the others) in which the Global Kids Online Initiative in being initially rolled out. More information on the project can be found at www.globalkidsonline.net .
UNICEF MENARO: The CJCP is leading a team of renowned international experts to undertake research in Algeria, Egypt, Morocco, Jordan and Tunisia, to map, review and identify gaps in the legislative and policy responses to child online sexual exploitation, and to identify promising and good practice in preventing and responding to child online sexual exploitation. This work is being done for the regional UNICEF office of the MENA region. UNICEF Namibia: The CJCP is providing technical assistance to UNICEF Namibia and the Namibian University of Science and Technology in undertaking exploratory research on children’s access to and usage of ICTs and social media in Namibia, and exploring the online risks and opportunities they face. Uganda: Like many countries in the region, and globally, Uganda is experiencing a rapid uptake of ICTs and social media, with both access and usage of the internet and various ICTs growing exponentially. This growth comes with both a number of risks, and opportunities, for children and young users. With this in mind, and as part of the #WePROTECT initiative, the CJCP has been commissioned by UNICEF Uganda to carry out a rapid assessment of the child online protection situation in Uganda . This rapid assessment will map key stakeholders in the country, from government, private sector, civil society and academia; identify high priority interventions that should be supported in order to improve both prevention, and response services; look at priorities for data collection and management; and assess exiting legislation and law enforcement relating to child online safety, identify possible gaps, and make concrete recommendations. UNICEF New York: Review of Evidence-Based Policies and Interventions to address child online violence, abuse and neglect, and to promote digital citizenship. Access to, and use of, ICTs, and social media, open up a realm of opportunities for children. Increasingly, ICTs are being used for the delivery of a range of services to children, including education and health services, particularly in areas and countries where access to these and other social services might be limited. Indeed, while global discourse considers whether access to ICTs are in fact, a fundamental human right, the Special Rapporteur to the Secretary General on Violence Against Children has clearly stated that “connectivity is a fundamental human right since it enables children to learn, work, connect, experience cultural activities and become citizens of the world”, thus recognizing the range of rights and opportunities that ICTs and connectivity offer and facilitate. However, while ICTs and access to the internet have opened up a wealth of often previously unimagined opportunities and possibilities for children, particularly in developing nations, they come with increased exposure to risk, or exposure to different forms of risk. Care needs to be taken in ensuring that in responding to the increased, or different risks that children face as they increasingly come online, the opportunities that exist through technology are not missed. As the body of knowledge grows on risks, and the strategies employed by children, parents/caregivers, and others to mitigate and minimize risk, there is substantially less evidence on the harms that result from exposure to these risks, and indeed, a lack of consensus on what constitutes harm, or how to measure harm. This differentiation between online risk and harms is an essential one to make, and a greater understanding is required in order to ensure the development and application of appropriate policy and intervention responses, targeting appropriate audiences. Policies and programmes related to ICT-related violence, exploitation and abuse and children’s digital citizenship are likewise subject to wide variation across geographies and cultures, between developed and developing nations. Here, the distinctive configuration of culture, local norms and practices impact on the various regulatory approaches and interventions in child online protection. Studies of policy provision within a European context have revealed enormous disparity between relatively well-provided and integrated systems, governed by a coherent policy framework (typically Western European nations involving multiple actors within a coordinated governance structure) and those countries where there is reliance on overburdened single actors (public or private sector) and in the absence of any coherent, guiding policy or framework. Research on the extent to which the policy context within individual countries, its policy frameworks and policy actions/initiatives, help explain outcomes in terms of online risks, activities and mediation strategies is still at an early stage and existing data does not allow for establishing a causal relationship or explanation. However, better knowledge of what countries have done (or have not done) by way of investing in child online protection measures helps to contextualise the factors that shape children and young people’s online experiences and thereby provide an important basis for formulating guidelines on good practice. With this in mind, the CJCP has been contracted by UNICEF Headquarters in New York, together with Dr Monica Bulger of Data and Society, and Professor Brian O’Neil of the Dublin Institute of Technology, to undertake a desk review of policies and frameworks proven to be effective in safeguarding children’s rights to protection, provision, and participation with respect to online child exploitation, violence, and abuse. The review will examine programmes that address protection and prevention as well as promote digital citizenship. The desk review will be a synthesis of key evidence-based policy and programmes that can be used as guidance and support for national actors, including governments, private sector, and civil society. Visit CJCP's publications page to download research papers. |
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