After my work with Girlguiding, I was pleased to be invited to support iRights, which introduces itself as “Enabling children and young people to access the Internet creatively, knowledegeably and fearlessly”, with more information as below:
The internet has become the decisive organising technology of our world. No child or young person should be left out of the huge opportunity it represents.
Children and young people are often presented as digital natives – with fast thumbs able to summon up the knowledge of the world in an instant, build a million dollar company from their bedroom, or topple a corrupt regime with a tweet. Yet the latest research shows that far from being at the forefront of the digital revolution, many young people remain on the lower ‘rungs’ of digital understanding. They lack the skills and knowledge necessary to benefit from the immense opportunities on offer as they move between spaces that are heavily limited and others where ‘anything goes’.
Our young people are poorly served by a public debate which is falsely polarised. We are told there is a stark choice to be made between freedom and protection. In the analogue world we balance this choice by giving children clear rights so that they can flourish in a safe and supportive environment. Twenty five years ago we recognised the human rights of all children and young people by adopting the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. The iRights principles contextualise these rights for the digital world.
The five core iRights are:
- The right to remove
- The right to know
- The right to safety and support
- The right to make informed and conscious choices (the right to agency)
- The right to digital literacy
These are certainly things I endorse, and that I hope Raising Children in a Digital Age helps to make happen!