From G7 to Kenya's classrooms, debate on child online safety rages

Policymakers are grappling with how to strengthen child online protection while expanding access to digital opportunities. [Courtesy]

World leaders convened in Evian-les-Bains, France, for the 52nd G7 Summit from June 15 to 17, with discussions focusing on pressing global challenges, including artificial intelligence, international security, and economic resilience.

Alongside the formal agenda, a parallel global debate on child online safety gained renewed attention following remarks by UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer advocating stronger measures to shield children from harmful digital content.

Together, these conversations underscored the growing challenge governments face in balancing technological innovation with the need to protect young users in an increasingly connected world.

The summit brought together leaders from the G7 nations, the European Union and invited partners, including Kenya, whose President William Ruto attended discussions on artificial intelligence governance, digital infrastructure and the social impact of emerging technologies.

For Kenya, the conversations come at a time when policymakers are grappling with how to strengthen child online protection while expanding access to digital opportunities.

The United Kingdom is among those exploring tighter controls for under-16s, following similar moves in Australia that have fuelled international discussions about child protection in the digital age.

According to Jennifer Kaberi, the Executive Director of MtotoNews, the push for stricter safeguards is unlikely to remain confined to a handful of countries.

Jennifer Kaberi, Executive Director, Mtoto News. [Courtesy]

Kaberi welcomed the G7’s commitment to child online safety, describing the recognition by the world’s largest economies that children’s safety in digital spaces is a global issue as an important step forward.

She identified four key areas emerging from the discussions, including safety by design, meaningful participation of children in policy conversations, stronger digital literacy, and the need for future global debates to address digital and data sovereignty.

“The momentum to raise the age of digital consent is growing,” she said, arguing that Australia’s actions have already become a catalyst for wider policy discussions around the world.

Kaberi predicts that more countries will review or introduce measures requiring stronger age assurance systems, safety-by-design standards and greater accountability from technology companies. However, she cautions that regulation alone will not solve the problem.

She said the emphasis on safety by design was particularly significant because responsibility for children’s online safety has, for too long, been placed mainly on children, parents and teachers.

According to Kaberi, technology companies must also be accountable for creating products that are safe for children from the beginning, with safety embedded into product design, business models and the underlying technology.

“As access becomes more regulated, there will be a parallel rise in tools designed to bypass age controls and safeguards,” she noted, warning that restrictions can be circumvented without digital literacy, ethical platform design and effective enforcement.

Kaberi also emphasised the importance of including children and young people in decisions affecting their digital lives. She argued that children, as primary users of many online platforms, should not be excluded from conversations about their safety and wellbeing.

Her observations reflect a growing international concern that children are increasingly exposed to harmful content, cyberbullying, online exploitation and manipulative recommendation systems. Policymakers are therefore seeking ways to strengthen protections without undermining access to educational opportunities and digital innovation.

For Kenya, however, the challenge is more complex than simply replicating policies developed elsewhere.

Kaberi argues that the country already possesses a substantial legal and policy framework to protect children online, including constitutional safeguards, the Children’s Act, data protection laws and cybercrime legislation.

She said strengthening digital literacy must also become a central part of child online safety efforts, particularly in Africa, where many children are growing up in a digital world while lacking the skills needed to navigate it safely. Kaberi noted that the gap extends beyond children, with many parents, caregivers and teachers also struggling to keep pace with rapid technological changes

“The issue is not that we lack policies. The issue is the implementation and understanding of the digital world,” she said.

She also pointed to another obstacle: many of the platforms attracting regulatory scrutiny are owned and governed outside Africa, making enforcement difficult for countries that do not control the underlying technologies.

Kaberi believes policymakers should be cautious about framing social media restrictions as a universal solution.

Research conducted by Mtoto News in parts of rural Kenya, including West Pokot and Teso North, found many children who had never used a computer or accessed the Internet, highlighting a significant digital divide.

“When we talk about banning children from social media, we risk creating policies that primarily affect a small, urban, connected population while ignoring the majority of children who are still excluded from digital opportunities,” she said.

Rather than focusing solely on access, she argues that governments should pay closer attention to how digital products are designed. Harmful features are no longer confined to social media platforms but are increasingly found across gaming services, educational technology platforms and AI-powered applications.

“The question should not be whether children should be online. The question should be whether the digital products they use are safe, accountable and designed in their best interests,” she said.

Looking ahead, Kaberi said global conversations on AI governance must expand beyond safety to address questions of digital and data sovereignty. She raised concerns over who owns data collected from African children, where such data is stored, how it is used and whether citizens can meaningfully consent to its use or challenge decisions made using that information.

Discussions at the 52nd G7 Summit also underscored growing concerns over equitable access to advanced AI technologies and the risks associated with overreliance on foreign-controlled digital infrastructure.