Rather than relying on blanket bans, this approach centers on empowerment, inclusion, safety, and responsibility. It aligns with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and integrates four key guiding principles:

1.⁠ ⁠Non-Discrimination

Equal access: All children—regardless of background, disability, or geography—should have equitable access to safe, enriching digital environments.

Inclusion in diverse spaces: Curricula must teach children how to engage with both supportive and challenging content online, fostering digital tolerance, empathy, and critical thinking.

2.⁠ ⁠Best Interests of the Child

Balanced access and protection: Digital policies should support both educational enrichment and online safety, recognizing that access to information is a right, not a privilege.

Privacy and autonomy: Children must be protected from surveillance and data exploitation, with privacy by design baked into educational tech tools and platforms.

Safe participation: Education systems must guide children to identify, manage, and report harmful online experiences, including cyberbullying and manipulation.

3.⁠ ⁠Right to Life, Survival, and Development

Digital literacy as a developmental tool: Schools should actively integrate digital learning that builds technical, creative, and cognitive skills.

Supportive digital habits: Teach balance, screen hygiene, and digital well-being to promote mental and physical health.

4.⁠ ⁠Respect for the Views of the Child

Meaningful participation: Involve students in shaping digital policies in schools and at national levels through consultations, councils, and surveys.

Expressive freedom: Encourage children to safely share ideas, culture, and identities in digital spaces.

Problem-solving together: Include children’s insights in designing interventions around social media harms—they are the end users and stakeholders.

Implementation Strategies

Education & Teacher Training: Equip educators with resources and training to support safe, inclusive digital practices.

Age-Appropriate Design Code: Mandate tech platforms to build environments with built-in protections tailored to developmental stages.

Child-Centered Policy: Embed children’s rights into national curriculum frameworks, school digital use policies, and edtech procurement standards.

Parental and Community Involvement: Support families to co-navigate digital life, rather than enforce top-down controls.