Web Safe & Wise

During the last three decades, we have seen significant progress in advancing children’s rights to survival, opportunity, and protection, as well as their right to speak on matters affecting their lives.

A significant factor in improving the well-being of children and youth is digital connectivity. It has increased their access to information and learning resources, and has expanded opportunities for social and civic engagement. Conversely, however, the rapid expansion in digital technologies is exposing children to an increasing range of threats to their safety and wellbeing.

Globally, laws and policies to keep young people safe online are insufficient and inconsistent. This threatens children’s ability to access the positive benefits the internet offers, while also being protected from potential dangers.

As part of the Alliance’s FY22-25 Strategic Plan, Working Together to Address Emerging Threats to Children’s Safety, ChildFund has launched WEB Safe & Wise. This new initiative will focus on addressing the risks emerging in the digital environment, while empowering children and young people to become effective digital citizens.

Girl smiling with tablet

Digital technology is changing childhoods, with around one in three internet users being under the age of 18. ¹

boy watches online videos

More than a third of young people in 30 countries report being cyberbullied, with one in five skipping school because of it.²

Kids gathered around a tablet

Over 200,000 children go online for the first time every day, and 800 million are actively using social media.³

two boys looking at computer

It is estimated there are 750,000 individuals looking to connect with children across the globe for sexual purposes online at any one time.⁴

Creating a better digital world with children

ChildFund believes all children have a right to be safe online. We are committed to building an accessible, safe, and inclusive digital world for all children and young people based on a framework that requires governments, industry, community members, and families to take action. Our WEB Safe & Wise advocacy campaign is focused on two key outcomes:

Laws and policies to protect children from online child sexual exploitation and abuse are strengthened.
Children are effective digital citizens who are equipped to participate in online civic engagement safely, ethically, and responsibly as part of their healthy development.

To achieve these outcomes, ChildFund has identified a number of global policy asks that are designed to improve protections and support digital skills development and citizenship.

Over the course of this initiative, we plan to work with government authorities; leaders in the tech industry and the broader digital community; and with civil society to advance these calls to action.

Children's Advisory Council

childrens advisory council

ChildFund Alliance is establishing a Children’s Advisory Council to support our children’s online safety campaign, Web Safe & Wise, Creating a better digital world with children. Council members will play a key role in determining how we plan, develop, and implement campaign activities. For more information and to apply, please click here for the English version, here for Spanish, or here for French.

ChildFund Members in Action

Several ChildFund members already have identified ways to counter this threat through the establishment of digital literacy training programs, regulatory authorities, and safe learning environments.

WATCH: ChildFund policy experts share how they are working to combat the online sexual exploitation of children, and what drives this global crisis.
READ: The online sexual exploitation and abuse of children (OSEAC) is one of the fastest growing crimes. Learn how ChildFund International is responding around the globe.
WATCH: ChildFund Swipe Safe is a project aimed at preventing online abuse and exploitation of children and enhancing the skills of teenagers to use the internet safely and effectively.
READ: Online safety in the Pacific: a report on a Living Lab in Kiribati, Papua New Guinea, and Solomon Islands.

weprotect global alliance

ChildFund is a member of the WeProtect Global Alliance, a global movement of governments, companies and charities working together to transform the global response to child sexual exploitation and abuse online.

end violence against children

ChildFund is a member of the Global Partnership and Fund to End Violence Against Children, launched in July 2016 by the UN Secretary-General. It is the only global entity focused solely on Sustainable Development Goal 16.2: ending all forms of violence against children by 2030.

¹UNICEF Office of Research – Innocenti
²UNICEF
³Global Partnership and Fund to End Violence Against Children
⁴FBI