Children's voices
How do children and young people feel about online risks?
The internet, technology and digital platforms benefit children* and young people in many ways. Unfortunately, the internet is also a place where they are at risk of different forms of violence. These risks evolve and become more complex as technologies take new forms. We invite you to answer this anonymous poll to help us better understand how children and young people feel about these risks and what they think would make them feel safer online.
In this survey, we will not ask about your own online experiences. Instead, we want to hear your views and opinions about the issue of online safety and what you think should be done to keep children and young people safe online. Due to some of the issues covered in the questions, we recommend that children under 13 who want to participate in the consultation should do so with the support of a parent or carer.
How safe do you feel online?
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are we running this poll?
We are running the poll because discussions about online safety are mostly based only on adults’ views about online safety. Children's and young people’s views are often missing. We want to help change that by understanding children's and young people’s views better.
What kind of questions are we asking?
We are asking about children and young people’s views on things like:
The online spaces and platforms that children and young people feel safest using. What do they think the biggest online risks for children and young people are? what more should be done to ensure children and young people can stay safe online? We are not asking any questions about children’s personal experiences of being harmed online.
How are we keeping the information from the poll safe?
When we gather the information, it will only be accessible to people working directly on the poll. Once all the results are double-checked and published, we won’t need the information from the poll anymore. We will then delete the data from individual poll responses permanently.
Where can I seek advice or support if I am concerned about experiencing harm online?
As we mentioned, we are not asking you to share information on any personal experiences of being harmed online. But we know that if you or someone you know has had that kind of experience, even answering general questions about online safety has the potential to be upsetting. Your safety and well-being are priority number one. If you are feeling uncomfortable or upset at any time, we strongly encourage you to reach out for support to a parent or another trusted adult. There may also be a child helpline in your country that can offer advice and support. You find the list of child helplines around the world here: www.childhelplineinternational.org/helplines/
How are we going to use the answers to the poll?
This poll is being run by two organizations: the WeProtect Global Alliance and the Office of the UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence against Children (sorry for the long names!). Both organizations will use the results of the poll in their reports and advocacy. We want the key messages coming from children and young people through this poll to have an impact. We want discussions and decisions about online safety to be informed by what children and young people say.
What if someone has a question about the poll before answering it?
If you have a question about the poll, you can send a message to srsg-vac@un.org. We will get back to you as soon as we can!
Are we gathering personal information?
No. The poll is anonymous. We will not be gathering any information that can identify someone replying to the poll. That’s why we are not asking for any names, email addresses, social media handles, or other identifying information. We are asking about things like your age and country. That’s because when we put all the results together, it can be helpful to highlight if particular concerns come up for different age groups or across different regions. But that information cannot be used to identify you specifically.