The ICT Coalition is pleased to announce the appointment of Professor Brian O’Neill as Independent Assessor for the ICT Principles for the Safer Use of Connected Devices and Online Services by Children and Young People in the EU.  

Brian is Emeritus Professor at Technological University Dublin and an experienced researcher on online safety for children. He is a member of the Council of Europe’s Expert Group on Digital Citizenship Education and is also a member of the CO:RE (Children Online: Research and Evidence) consortium supported under the EC Horizon 2020 programme. 

The role of the Independent Assessor is to carry out an independent evaluation of the company self-declaration reports submitted by each Coalition member on their company’s implementation of the ICT Principles. Implementation reports are published on the website of the ICT Coalition. The ICT Principles contain an explicit commitment on the part of signatories to carry out such a review as part of their commitment to develop a robust self-regulatory process. A report of the first implementation of the ICT Principles is available here.

The assessor will collate companies’ self‐declaration reports and invite comments from appropriate stakeholders. In the light of these declarations and observations, the assessor will publish a report making an overall assessment of companies’ implementation, highlighting any related technological or user trends impacting this fast-moving environment. These reports will take account of any discussions which individual companies may already have had with children’s NGOs and civil society during the implementation period. It is anticipated that companies may wish to institute an ongoing dialogue to discuss their plans with their key stakeholders throughout the implementation period.

During the assessment process, should an NGO wish to raise a specific concern as to the reporting of an individual company, e.g., the outcome announced is not consistent with the original commitment, the independent assessor will act as mediator, bringing the parties together in an attempt to seek an appropriate resolution.

In this context, organisations and individuals are invited to contact the Independent Assessor directly by email at oneill.research@icloud.com or brian.oneill@tudublin.ie or through the Contact Form on the ICT Coalition website: https://www.ictcoalition.eu/contact

Comments and feedback on the following are specifically invited:

1. Any aspect of the implementation reports submitted by ICT Coalition members and available on the ICT Coalition website.
2. Any observations regarding whether the ICT Principles are still fit for purpose, highlighting any gaps regarding their current coverage.

Deadline for receipt of submissions is: 29 April, 2022

In the last 12 months, while we all went throught the pandemic, the efforts in protecting children online did not stop. Please find the latest issue of the ICT Coalition for Children Online news bulletin.

This is the latest issue of the ICT Coalition for Children Online news bulletin. It aims at giving an indication of some actions and initiatives carried out by members of the ICT Coalition for children online.

At Orange, we’re joining forces across the world so that our customers can use and manage their digital services securely, responsibly and confidently.

Our ambition is to help shape a world where everyone uses digital technologies in a safe and enlightened way, and we have translated this vision into an advertising campaign. The first stage begins with one of life’s key milestones: when children receive their first smartphone. In order to more closely reflect our customers’ real experiences, the message rings true across all of our operating countries. More here.

On Safer Internet Day 2018, the Commissioner for Digital Economy and Society Mariya Gabriel launched the EU-wide #SaferInternet4EU Campaign at an event at the European Parliament in Strasbourg.

The campaign federates efforts from different stakeholders at EU and national level to improve awareness on digital challenges and opportunities for children. Throughout 2018, a range of #SaferInternet4EU initiatives across Europe will reach children, young people, parents, teachers, and other EU citizens to become empowered and responsible digital users.

Read the full article here.

Press release: Safer Internet Forum 23 November 2017-11-23

Thursday, 23 November marked the 14th edition of the safer internet forum, of which the ICT Coalition was an integral part.

The event kicked off with a keynote speech from Caire Bury, Deputy Director General of DG CONNECT in the European Commission. Ms Bury outlined the importance of the international platform for internet safety, to further explore the potential risks online and how to foster a safer environment for minors online. She also identified the promotion of media literacy, critical thinking, and digital skills among young people as key priorities to be tackled.

Ms Bury’s speech was followed by a panel discussion, with representatives of industry and civil society, as well as youth panellists. ICT Coalition was well represented in the panel, with both Google and Telia Company presenting the pleasing initiatives they have taken in the setting of the Coalition and beyond. Google emphasised the importance of industry self-regulation in making the internet a safer place for minors.

The youth representatives showcased a video that the numerous young panellists from across Europe who were present at the event had collaborated on, to raise awareness of the issues faced by young people online. The video forms part of a social media campaign under the handle #TogetherForRespect, and can be visited here.

The general rule provides for a parental consent requirement for all youth under 16 years old in situations where information society services are offered directly to them, and consent is the legitimation ground that is relied upon. However, Member States may choose to deviate and decide to lower the age threshold to 15, 14, or 13 years. In preparation for the implementation of the GDPR, national (draft) implementation acts, national consultations or guidance by Data Protection Authorities (DPAs) have been published across the EU. Although in many countries no final decisions have been taken, preliminary research into a selection of national approaches, based on official and public documents, shows that a fragmented landscape is gradually emerging. The full and updated article is available here. 

This is the latest issue of the ICT Coalition for Children Online news bulletin. It aims at giving an indication of planned events and ongoing initiatives organised by the members. 

The members of the ICT Coalition for Children Online  welcome in principle the proposals of the European Commission on the role of self- and/or co-regulation as a means of ensuring the protection of minors, subject to further details on how this would look in practice.

The position of the ICT Coaltion is outlined in the attached paper.

All downloads

•  (ICT Coalition - AVMS self-regulation FINAL.pdf)

This is the latest issue of the ICT Coalition for Children Online news bulletin.

It aims at giving an indication of planned events and ongoing initiatives.

We are glad to announce that Liberty Global has joined the ICT Coalition for Children on line in the effort to make internet a safer and better place for children and young people.

We are glad to announce that Twitter has joined the ICT Coalition for Children on line in the effort to make internet a safer and better place for children and young people.

FSM, the Germany based body for Voluntary Self-Monitoring of Multimedia Service Providers, created an animated video on the use of parental control software in Germany, also available in English language. The video explains to the interested public and especially parents how parental control software works in Germany. Please share the video with your contacts and publish it if you like.

You can find the video on FSM's website:
English version: www.fsm.de/youth-protection/parental-control-software
German version: www.fsm.de/jugendschutz/jugendschutzprogramme
Please also visit our new YouTube-Channel: www.youtube.de/FSMBerlin

You can embed the video in your website by using the embedding-feature of YouTube or the following iframes:
English video:

German video: