BANJUL / GENEVA / VIENNA / WASHINGTON D.C. (1 June 2026) – The freedom of
expression mandate holders of the United Nations (UN), the Organization for Security
and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), the Organization of American States (OAS) and the
African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) have adopted a Joint
Declaration on the Right to Freedom of Expression and Access to Information of
Children in the Digital Age. They also issued the following statement:
“The digital environment plays a central role in enabling children’s participation,
education, development and democratic engagement.
We reaffirm that children are independent rights-holders and the right to freedom of
expression and access to information applies fully to children, online and offline, in line
with their evolving capacities.
Today, one in three users of the digital environment worldwide is a child. Digital
inclusion is vital for all children, and stakeholders, particularly States and digital
technology companies, should work together to minimize challenges to access,
particularly for children belonging to the Global Majority.
Engagement with digital technologies is increasingly indispensable for the realisation of
children’s rights, including the rights to education, health, association, peaceful
assembly, privacy and non-discrimination. At the same time, it exposes them to serious
risks. Children face widespread harms online, including cyberbullying, hate speech,
sexual violence, gendered disinformation, addictive design practices, data protection
violations and the amplification of harmful content.
We stress that the best interests of the child must be a primary consideration in the
design, development, deployment and governance of digital platforms and services.
Measures aimed at protection must not unduly restrict children’s freedom of expression
or access to information. Blanket bans or overly restrictive regulatory approaches may
disproportionately interfere with children’s rights and undermine their wellbeing.
We call on States to adopt rights-based approaches to regulating the digital
environment, in full compliance with international human rights law standards,
including the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. States must ensure that digital
spaces are safe, accessible and inclusive for all children, address structural inequalities
that limit access, and promote digital literacy and human rights education.
We also emphasise the responsibility of digital technology companies to respect
children’s rights across the lifecycle of their products and services, including through
safety and privacy by design, impact assessments, transparency, and effective remedies.
We highlight the growing impact of artificial intelligence, including generative AI, which
poses heightened risks to children’s rights. We condemn the creation of sexualised
images of children through AI tools and call for robust safeguards and accountability.
We underscore the vital role of independent and pluralistic media in providing quality,
age-appropriate content and supporting children’s participation in public discourse. We
call on States, the private sector, media and civil society to take coordinated and urgent
action to ensure that the digital environment enables, rather than undermines,
children’s right to freedom of expression and access to information.”
ENDS
The freedom of expression mandate holders: Irene Khan, UN Special Rapporteur on the
Protection and Promotion of Freedom of Opinion and Expression; Jan Braathu, OSCE
Representative on Freedom of the Media; Pedro Vaca Villarreal, OAS Special
Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression; Ourveena Geereesha Topsy-Sonoo, ACHPR
Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression and Access to Information.