UN calls for stronger safeguards for children as AI creates new online risks

The UN Department of Global Communications has called for stronger protections for children and young people online, warning that existing safety measures are not keeping pace with developments in AI and increasingly complex digital risks.

Its new brief, Children, Youth and Information Integrity, highlights risks including disinformation, harassment, algorithmic bias, targeted advertising and the use of AI for exploitation. It argues that some of these risks are linked to the way online platforms are designed and financed, particularly systems that rely on user attention and personal data.

The UN warns that AI can increase these risks through synthetic content, recommendation systems that are difficult to understand and chatbots that increasingly influence how young people find and consume information. It calls on governments and companies to address these risks before harmful practices become established.

The brief recommends safety-by-design requirements, stronger corporate accountability and high privacy and safety settings by default. It also cautions that age restrictions and age verification alone are unlikely to provide adequate protection and could create additional privacy risks or limit children’s access to education and support.

The UN also calls for greater transparency from technology companies, including privacy-preserving access to platform data for independent researchers. This would allow researchers to examine how recommendation systems, advertising and AI products affect young users.

Children and young people should also have a meaningful role in developing digital policies and technologies, including through youth advisory mechanisms and participation in standards-setting. The brief further calls for greater investment in digital and media literacy, youth-focused journalism and research on children’s online experiences, particularly in the Global South.