Türkiye-led UN panel urges stronger safeguards for children online

The discussion, titled “The Invisible Architecture: Building Safe Digital Systems for Children – Advancing International Standards and Shared Responsibility,” took place at UN headquarters during the high-level week of the 81st UN General Assembly.

Türkiye’s Ministry of Family and Social Services organized the event under the auspices of First Lady Emine Erdogan, in cooperation with UNICEF and the UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence against Children. Family and Social Services Minister Mahinur Ozdemir Goktas also attended.

Opening the session, Queen Mathilde said the rapid development of AI was introducing new challenges for children and urged policymakers to make child protection a fundamental element of AI governance.

“Children cannot be the subjects of a global technology experiment or guinea pigs for business models based on data collection and attention,” she said.

She argued that protecting children online requires more than parental controls, content moderation and safeguards for personal information.

First ladies call for stronger digital rules

Serbian First Lady Tamara Vucic praised the initiative and said children need preparation for both their physical surroundings and increasingly digital lives through education and responsible technology use.

Gambian First Lady Fatoumatta Bah Barrow called for governments to strengthen legislation and technology companies to adopt additional protections, noting that digital threats can cross borders rapidly.

Kenyan First Lady Rachel Ruto said information such as children's personal details, locations, photographs and online behavior should not be commercially exploited, urging countries to coordinate their response.

Sierra Leonean First Lady Fatima Maada Bio also highlighted the need to match technological development with stronger measures against online exploitation, cyberbullying and privacy breaches.

Lebanon case highlights AI-related concerns

Sahar Salam, the wife of Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, urged closer scrutiny of AI systems while referring to the death of a 15-year-old in Lebanon who had reportedly communicated with an AI system before his suicide.

She said systems used by children should be assessed for how they respond when minors seek assistance during periods of distress.

“We cannot expect children to understand the commercial logic of algorithms or assess whether an AI response is psychologically appropriate,” Salam said.

Other participants, representing countries including Lithuania, Burundi, Guatemala, Senegal, Romania, Chile and Canada, emphasized international coordination, enforceable rules and accountability for technology companies.

UN officials back Türkiye’s digital safety agenda

UNICEF Child Protection Director Sheema Sen Gupta welcomed Türkiye’s efforts to elevate children's online protection on the international agenda, describing digital safety as a responsibility shared across borders.

Najat Maalla M'jid, the UN Special Representative on Violence against Children, similarly called for stronger accountability across the digital sector. She said governments, technology companies and other actors involved in the digital ecosystem all have a role in creating safer online environments for children.