{"id":38238,"date":"2025-08-21T13:41:03","date_gmt":"2025-08-21T13:41:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/publicknowledge.org\/?p=38238"},"modified":"2025-11-22T21:15:50","modified_gmt":"2025-11-22T21:15:50","slug":"new-public-knowledge-paper-proposes-child-online-safety-framework-protecting-kids-free-expression","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/publicknowledge.org\/new-public-knowledge-paper-proposes-child-online-safety-framework-protecting-kids-free-expression\/","title":{"rendered":"New Public Knowledge Paper Proposes Child Online Safety Framework Protecting Kids, Free Expression"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Today, we\u2019re happy to announce our newest white paper, \u201cThe Kids Aren’t Alright Online: How To Build a Safer, Better Internet for Everyone<\/a>,\u201d by Public Knowledge Government Affairs Director Sara Collins and Policy Analyst Morgan Wilsmann. The paper discusses the need for policymaking that prioritizes making the internet safer and privacy-protective for everyone<\/em> as well as children, then outlines how to get there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The relationship between children and digital technology has become a contentious policy debate. As young people increasingly live their lives online, we see endless headlines chronicling alarming stories of cyberbullying, online predators, harmful content, and addictive design features. This tension has catalyzed a global wave of regulatory responses, from comprehensive privacy frameworks to age-appropriate design codes to outright bans on social media use by minors. Yet, many of these policy proposals struggle to sufficiently strike a balance between protecting children online and preserving free expression without cutting children off from the substantial benefits that technology platforms can offer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This paper proposes a child online safety framework that forces technology companies to design platforms with children\u2019s wellbeing as a primary consideration. This approach \u2013 often referred to as \u201csafety by design\u201d \u2013 shifts responsibility from individual users and their families to the corporations that profit from the use of their online platforms. Rather than asking children to navigate exploitative systems or parents to police every online interaction their kids have, we the people should demand that companies build platforms that are safe for everyone by default.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This paper is a product of two key feedback opportunities, first among them a January 2025 Public Knowledge Policy Konclave that brought together more than 20 subject matter experts from law, technology, policy, and academia to explore topics like age assurance, the current state of legislative activity, and how a risk-based approach to child safety could work. The second event influencing this research includes a June 2025 workshop for high school students in partnership with the Civic Innovation Academy members of Civics Unplugged. This workshop hinged on how digital technology is shaping the lives of students and how these students wish the internet could change to serve them better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You may attend our in-person launch event, \u201cThe Kids Aren’t Alright Online: Building a Safer, Better Internet<\/a>,\u201d at the InterContinental Wharf hotel in Washington, D.C. on September 8 for a paper presentation and discussion featuring expert panelists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The following can be attributed to Sara Collins, Government Affairs Director at Public Knowledge:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe internet has the potential to enrich children\u2019s lives, but only if we design it with both their safety and their rights in mind. We need laws that create the right incentives: rules that require protective settings to be on by default; age verification only for features <\/em>that are likely to cause significant harm; and transparency into how platforms operate. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cImportantly, lawmakers must resist simplistic fixes like blanket bans, content restrictions, or a reliance on parental consent, which do little to address systemic design flaws and risk undermining children\u2019s and adults\u2019 freedom of expression and privacy. By adopting a risk-based approach, fostering proactive protective behaviors, and ensuring researchers can reveal what works, we can strike the right balance \u2013 protecting children online while preserving the benefits of the internet for everyone.\u201d

You may view the paper here<\/a>. You may also register to attend the in-person launch event<\/a> on September 8 at the InterContinental Wharf hotel in Washington, D.C. You may also view our latest blog post, \u201cWeighing in on the Age Verification Debate: Risk-Based Approaches To Minimizing Harm for Child Users<\/a>,\u201d for more information on our proposal.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

New paper outlines how to prioritize making the internet safer and privacy-protective for everyone.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":122,"featured_media":38235,"parent":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[31,14],"class_list":["post-38238","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-press-release","tag-free-expression","tag-platform-regulation"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nNew Public Knowledge Paper Proposes Child Online Safety Framework Protecting Kids, Free Expression - Public Knowledge<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Public Knowledge promotes freedom of expression, an open internet, and access to affordable communications tools and creative works. 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