The digital rights of children and youth: An Annual Review of Information Science and Technology ( ARIST ) paper

Abstract The theme of this ARIST chapter is the digital rights of children and youth. It is grounded on a belief in the dignity of the child and an understanding that young people have protection, provision, and participation rights in the technology and online environments in which they live, learn, and play. The chapter is framed by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (U.N., 1989) and its recent addendum, General Comment No. 25 on Children's Rights in Relation to the Digital Environment (U.N., 2021). Within this structure, the chapter surveys selected topics, such as privacy, the emergence of AI and data surveillance, age verification, access to accurate information, the right to play, minoritized children and inequities of inclusion. Throughout, the chapter connects with young people's voices and practices, as evidenced by the research literature and concludes with a discussion about young people's inclusion in the design of their digital worlds, in terms of participatory design. While the chapter references some policy and regulations, it is not intended to be a comprehensive policy review since the policy environment in relation to children's digital rights is changing rapidly.