{"id":2727,"date":"2017-12-12T16:55:00","date_gmt":"2017-12-12T05:55:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/adolescentsourfuture.com\/?p=2727"},"modified":"2022-03-08T16:43:08","modified_gmt":"2022-03-08T05:43:08","slug":"children-in-a-digital-age","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adolescentsourfuture.com\/children-in-a-digital-age\/","title":{"rendered":"Children in a digital age"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"2727\" class=\"elementor elementor-2727\" data-elementor-post-type=\"post\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-1d9c95f3 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"1d9c95f3\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-522aa7b2\" data-id=\"522aa7b2\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-fcf4280 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"fcf4280\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Do you remember the first time you went online? <\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-22e4f337 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"22e4f337\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h1 style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.unicef.org\/publications\/index_101992.html\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-2728 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/adolescentsourfuture.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/unicef-1.jpg\" alt=\"unicef\" width=\"607\" height=\"334\" srcset=\"https:\/\/adolescentsourfuture.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/unicef-1.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/adolescentsourfuture.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/unicef-1-300x165.jpg 300w, https:\/\/adolescentsourfuture.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/unicef-1-768x422.jpg 768w, https:\/\/adolescentsourfuture.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/unicef-1-620x341.jpg 620w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 607px) 100vw, 607px\" \/><\/a><\/h1><p>Chances are you knew life before the internet. But for children and adolescents growing up online, life is unimaginable without it.<\/p><p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-2731\" src=\"https:\/\/adolescentsourfuture.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/digita-lage-300x163.png\" alt=\"digita lage\" width=\"300\" height=\"163\" srcset=\"https:\/\/adolescentsourfuture.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/digita-lage-300x163.png 300w, https:\/\/adolescentsourfuture.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/digita-lage-620x338.png 620w, https:\/\/adolescentsourfuture.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/digita-lage.png 749w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/>Digital technology has transformed the world we live in \u2013 disrupting entire industries and changing the social landscape. As the influence of digital technology \u2013 and\u00a0especially the internet \u2013 has increased, the debate about its impact has grown louder: Is it a boon to humankind, offering unlimited opportunity for communication and commerce, learning and free expression? Or\u00a0is it a threat to our way of life, undermining the social fabric, even the political order, and threatening our\u00a0wellbeing?<\/p><p>This is an interesting debate, but essentially an academic one. Because for better or for worse, digital technology is a fact of our\u00a0lives.<\/p><p>UNICEF\u2019s latest report, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.unicef.org\/publications\/index_101992.html\">The State of the World\u2019s Children 2017: Children in a digital world<\/a> examines the different ways digital technology is affecting children\u2019s and adolescent\u2019s lives and life chances, identifying dangers as well as opportunities.<\/p><table style=\"background-color: #ebf0ef; border-color: #000000;\"><tbody><tr><td style=\"width: 954px;\"><h3><strong>Fast facts:<\/strong><\/h3><ul><li>Youth (ages 15\u201324) are the most connected age group. Worldwide,\u00a0<strong>71% are online<\/strong>\u00a0compared with 48% of\u00a0the total\u00a0population.<\/li><li>29% of the world\u2019s youth \u2013\u00a0<strong>346 million \u2013 are not online<\/strong><strong>.<\/strong><\/li><li><strong>Children are accessing the internet at increasingly younger ages<\/strong>. In some countries, children under 15 are as likely to\u00a0use the internet as adults over 25.<\/li><li>Digital technologies are bringing\u00a0<strong>opportunities for learning and education<\/strong>\u00a0to children, especially in remote regions and during humanitarian crises.<\/li><li><strong>African youth are the least connected<\/strong>, with around 3 out of 5 offline, compared to just 1 in 25 in Europe.<\/li><li>Approximately\u00a0<strong>56 per cent of all websites are in English<\/strong>\u00a0and many children cannot find content they understand or that is culturally relevant.<\/li><li>There is a\u00a0<strong>digital gender gap<\/strong>\u00a0as well. In 2017, globally 12% more men than women used the internet. In India, less than one third of internet users are female.<\/li><li><strong>More than 9 in 10 child sexual abuse URLs\u00a0<\/strong>identified globally are hosted in five countries \u2013 Canada, France, the Netherlands, the Russian Federation and the United States.<\/li><\/ul><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><p>One in three internet users worldwide is a child or adolescent, and young people are now the most connected of all age groups. From photos posted online to medical records stored in the cloud. Many children have a digital footprint before they can even walk or talk as a result of parents and\/or family posting photos online.<\/p><p>Despite children\u2019s massive online presence, too little is done to protect them from the perils of the digital world, says UNICEF\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.unicef.org\/publications\/index_101992.html\">latest report<\/a>.<\/p><p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-2732 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/adolescentsourfuture.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/SOWC_2017_1_0_2_Infographic1_1000x380-300x114.png\" alt=\"SOWC_2017_1_0_2_Infographic1_1000x380\" width=\"300\" height=\"114\" srcset=\"https:\/\/adolescentsourfuture.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/SOWC_2017_1_0_2_Infographic1_1000x380-300x114.png 300w, https:\/\/adolescentsourfuture.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/SOWC_2017_1_0_2_Infographic1_1000x380-768x292.png 768w, https:\/\/adolescentsourfuture.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/SOWC_2017_1_0_2_Infographic1_1000x380-620x236.png 620w, https:\/\/adolescentsourfuture.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/SOWC_2017_1_0_2_Infographic1_1000x380.png 1000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/>Digital technology can be a game changer for disadvantaged children, offering them new opportunities to learn, socialise and make their voices heard \u2013 or it can be yet another dividing line. Millions of children are left out of an increasingly connected world.\u00a0As digital technology rapidly evolves, so can the risks children face online \u2013 from cyberbullying to misuse of their private information to online sexual abuse and exploitation.<\/p><p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">As\u00a0Ms Surabhi Dogra, a Youth Network Member of the\u00a0<em>Lancet Standing Commission on Adolescent Health and Wellbeing<\/em>, comments.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><em>\u201cIn the digital era, we as young people assume the identity of not only citizens but rather\u00a0netizens\u00a0(a user of the internet) of the digital world. As the report highlights, the inequities of society are now beginning to mirror themselves in the digital space. A glaring digital divide prevents children and adolescents from LMIC&#8217;s accessing the services of the internet like their counterparts from other parts of the world. Furthermore, the report also highlights how young females who may be battling the gender gap in their everyday lives also have to struggle to sustain a digital presence.<\/em><\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><em>Digital technology carries immense potential to solve some of the developmental challenges faced by young people. On the other hand, the negative consequences of the digital wave threaten the privacy of young people who may not be equipped with levels of digital literacy necessary to assess as well as adopt measures of protection.&#8221;<\/em><\/span><\/p><p>In the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.unicef.org\/publications\/index_101992.html\">report<\/a>, UNICEF set out to uncover how the internet and digital technology are helping and hindering children\u2019s learning, wellbeing and social relationships. The report makes a clear call to governments, the digital technology sector and telecom industries to level the digital playing field for children and adolescents by creating policies, practices and products that can help children and adolescents harness digital opportunities and protect them from harm.<\/p><p><em><span style=\"color: #000000;\">&#8220;There is a need for moving towards the democratisation of the digital space while keeping the interests of an important part of the digital citizenry i.e. children and adolescents at the heart of policy making and implementation. The report&#8217;s recommendation on involving young stakeholders to voice their concerns and views about shaping their experience on the internet is critical. We as young people of the 21st century, should have a voice in shaping our realities in not only the physical but also the virtual world.&#8221;<\/span><\/em><\/p><p>Equally important, this report includes the perspectives of children and adolescents on the impact of digital technology in their lives \u2013 telling their own stories about\u00a0the\u00a0issues that most affect them.\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/unicef.us2.list-manage.com\/track\/click?u=868bc193d9fcfe837d3fb7bc3&amp;id=da9277ef47&amp;e=0666ead0e5\">Hear their stories<\/a> and learn about the urgent need to make the internet safer for children and adolescents while increasing access to digital technology for every child and adolescent, especially the most disadvantaged.<\/p><p>\u201cFor better <em>and <\/em>for worse, digital technology is now an irreversible fact of our lives,\u201d said UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake. \u201cIn a digital world, our dual challenge is how to mitigate the harms while maximising the benefits of the internet for every child.\u201d<\/p><p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.unicef.org\/sowc2017\/index_102254.html\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-2733 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/adolescentsourfuture.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/BCA-Web-Access.url_.png\" alt=\"BCA Web Access.url\" width=\"498\" height=\"337\" srcset=\"https:\/\/adolescentsourfuture.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/BCA-Web-Access.url_.png 593w, https:\/\/adolescentsourfuture.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/BCA-Web-Access.url_-300x203.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 498px) 100vw, 498px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>UNICEF&#8217;s &#8220;The State of the World\u2019s Children 2017: Children in a Digital World&#8221; report is now out. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":5797,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"default","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2727","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/adolescentsourfuture.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2727","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/adolescentsourfuture.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/adolescentsourfuture.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adolescentsourfuture.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adolescentsourfuture.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2727"}],"version-history":[{"count":17,"href":"https:\/\/adolescentsourfuture.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2727\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5798,"href":"https:\/\/adolescentsourfuture.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2727\/revisions\/5798"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adolescentsourfuture.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5797"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adolescentsourfuture.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2727"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adolescentsourfuture.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2727"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adolescentsourfuture.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2727"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}