Regulating digital spaces for child safety: a proposal for EU age restrictions for social media
Age restrictions on social media are not inherently problematic, but applied without safeguards, they risk exacerbating harm and disproportionately limiting children’s rights and agency. We propose below a proportionate and child-rights respecting policy approach to operationalize age restrictions. After over 4 years of continued effort by the EU to regulate online platforms, the real effects […]
Supporting Children and Young People in an AI-Enabled World
Artificial intelligence is rapidly becoming part of children’s everyday lives. For many children and young people, AI tools are already helping with homework, answering questions, sparking creativity and offering new ways to learn. As these technologies become more accessible, they will continue to shape how children seek information, solve problems and engage with the world […]
Child helplines urge Irish EU Presidency to secure the future of Europe’s Safer Internet Centres
AMSTERDAM – Child Helpline International (CHI), INHOPE and Insafe, together with 26 organizations from 19 EU Member States and two neighbouring countries, are calling on the Irish Presidency and all EU institutions to help secure the future of Europe’s Safer Internet Centres. For more than two decades, Safer Internet Centres have been an integral part […]
Joint Statement on potential age restrictions for children to access social media
Child rights organizations and experts unite to call on the EU to steer away from social media bans
BRUSSELS – Ahead of the third meeting of the Special Panel advising President Ursula Von Der Leyen on a potential social media ban in the EU, more than 170 child rights organizations and experts across Europe have joined forces to call for a more nuanced and rights-based approach. Since last year, and inspired in part […]
Every Child Deserves Not Only Protection, But Someone to Turn To
Statement from Helen Mason, Executive Director
The recent remarks by UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell to the United Nations Security Council are a timely and powerful reminder of the devastating toll that armed conflict continues to take on children around the world. Children do not start wars. Yet they too often suffer their greatest consequences. Whether in Gaza, Sudan, Ukraine, Myanmar, […]
A childhood free of exploitation
We need an ambitious DFA to protect our children and our future democracies
Big Tech is lobbying hard to weaken the EU’s upcoming Digital Fairness Act. And children across Europe will ultimately pay the price, should they succeed. Every day, more than 1,500 children contact child helplines across Europe with mental health concerns shaped by their experiences, both offline and online. These are not singular cases – they […]
Unheard Voices
Ensuring Every Child Is Heard
Every child has a voice, but not every child has access to a child helpline. Through the Unheard Voices project, Child Helpline International works with partners and governments to support the establishment of child helpline services in countries where they do not yet exist. Today, while more than 130 countries have a national child helpline, […]
Every Second Counts Campaign
Did you know that every five seconds, somewhere in the world, a child helpline telephone is ringing, or a counsellor is opening an email, or a chat room is receiving a message from a child or young person? In 2024 alone there were 12 calls per minute. That’s around 725 calls per hour. That’s roughly […]
Free Our Voices Campaign
Expanding Access to Child Helplines Globally
Every second, a child reaches out to a child helpline for support. Yet too often, these calls go unanswered. Launched in 2014, the Free Our Voices campaign set out to change this, working towards a world where every child who needs help can be heard. This video highlights the campaign’s key achievements and lasting impact. […]
Child Helplines Supporting Children During Global Crises
Marking International Child Helpline Day 2020
This video marks International Child Helpline Day 2020, recognising the vital role of child helplines in supporting children and young people around the world. At a time of global uncertainty, child helplines continued to provide accessible, confidential support to children facing a wide range of challenges. From emotional distress to experiences of violence, these services […]