Building the digital world that young people deserve
5Rights is at the forefront of delivering practical change for children so they can access the digital world knowledgeably, creatively and fearlessly.
The problem
Digital products and services curate almost all aspects of children’s lives, but they are designed for profit, not children’s wellbeing. Today, one in two under 18s struggles with addiction to digital devices; harassment, eating disorders, suicide and online sexual abuse are soaring.
“The more time you use social media the more addicted you are and there is no control over it.”
Sarah, 13
“I believe that when young people collate all their ideas, something amazing can happen”
Alejandro, 12
The solution
Children’s rights and needs must be at the heart of digital design and development. Tech companies must be held accountable for ensuring their products and services cater for children and young people by design and default.
Our impact
Working for and with young people, 5Rights has successfully set the agenda, delivered the evidence, shaped the needed policy, legislation and technical tools, and worked with companies to demonstrate that redesigning services for children is possible, profitable and can benefit all.
“I imagine that the digital world in the 22nd century will be advanced, brilliant and safe for all children to use effectively and creatively”
Aisha, 16
The digital world was not designed for children. But it can be. Take action with us today for a better tomorrow.
Resources
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Latest
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UK Government takes aim at manipulative digital design practices
The UK Government has announced new measures to strengthen online protections for children and young people, with a clear focus on tackling addictive and harmful digital design practices.
5Rights Youth Ambassadors give evidence to UK Parliamentarians on AI
5Rights Youth Ambassadors Eashaa and Niranjana, represented 5Rights at the UK Parliament this week, giving evidence to an inquiry of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Online Safety examining the impact of artificial intelligence on children.
Social media–style design is already in the classroom, new research finds
As Parliament debates banning children from social media, new research reveals that many of the same harmful design features are already embedded in the technology children use every day at school, raising concerns for children’s privacy, wellbeing and exposure to commercial exploitation in the classroom.
TikTok’s addictive design preliminarily found in breach of the Digital Services Act: a positive step towards protection of minors on online platforms
5Rights Foundation has been advocating for swift and robust enforcement of the DSA to protect minors online since its entry into force. The preliminary finding on TikTok addictive design is a long-awaited step to enforce European rules and finally deliver for children’s safety online.