Children and online safety

Sir, – The CyberSafeKids report has done an excellent service in documenting the worrying “online experience” of children, including how a “majority of children (57 per cent) are telling us that their online experience is broadly not a positive one” (“Roblox and YouTube main sources of online content which ‘bothered or upset’ primary school children, says report”, News, September 3rd; “Alex Cooney, “Children are not safe anywhere online. It’s time to hit tech companies in the bottom line”, Opinion & Analysis, September 3rd).

However, the report seems to go astray somewhat in its recommendations on how to respond, where the voice of children on this crucial question seems absent. It is essential to ask children themselves how society should respond, and whether children consider it a good idea to impose “robust” rules, including making age verification a “mandatory requirement” for accessing online services, legislating a “minimum age” when online platforms can provide services to children, and imposing “age gates” for features deemed “harmful”. It must be remembered that any legislation must not disproportionately restrict a child’s fundamental right to freedom of expression, which crucially includes “freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds”, and through the “media of the child’s choice”. – Yours, etc,

RONAN Ó FATHAIGH,

Koog aan de Zaan,