Since the birth of the Web, hopes and fears for the digital age have been strongly focused on the education and protection of kids.
Policy changes are underway that will impact the fundamental division of responsibilities among parents, children and internet companies, from the revision of child protection aspects of the EU’s Audiovisual Media Services and E-Commerce Directives to the on-going review of ICANN and the domain name system.
But these changes could be made without attention to the most basic data about how many children access the internet, how, why and with what results. Undoubtedly the usual controversies over free speech and protection of the vulnerable will rage, but without knowing how many are vulnerable, to what extent and what proportionate, evidence-based mitigation strategies might be, policy will be stuck in the usual mire of ideological mudslinging.
