Over the past decade, the EU has launched a significant number of EU initiatives to safeguard families and to ensure that digital platforms and products are safe for children, such as the Better Internet for Kids Strategy, the Digital Services Act, the proposal for a Child Sexual Abuse Regulation and the Artificial Intelligence Act.
Given these new initiatives and the current technological developments, COFACE Families Europe has decided to revise its Digitalisation Principles. In addition to refreshing the already existing 13 principles, a new principle has been added to the list, namely “Principle 14 – Sustainability”.
The 14 Digitalisation Principles are as follows:
Principle 1 Digital services: Non-discrimination, inclusion and accessibility
Principle 2 Infrastructure: Access to the Internet
Principle 3 Competences and skills
Principle 4 (Digital) Parenting
Principle 5 Respecting human rights and children’s rights
Principle 6 Transparency
Principle 7 Privacy and data protection
Principle 8 (Cyber)security
Principle 9 User control
Principle 10 Keeping the Internet open
Principle 11 Democratic participation
Principle 12 Health and well-being
Principle 13 Democratic Internet Governance
Principle 14 Sustainability
These principles are based on key human rights conventions such as the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), including General Comment No.25, the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), the European Convention on Human Rights, and the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union.
COFACE Families Europe’s aim is to ensure that digitalisation and new technological developments serve the general interest of all European citizens, support families and respect the rights of children. Taken together, these principles paint a picture of an Internet and a web managed and maintained by reconciling and balancing the roles and responsibilities on the end user and private/public actors, creating a better Internet and web for all. They also aim to support bridge-building between social, consumer and digitalisation stakeholders.
To read the updated version of the COFACE Digitalisation Principles here.
