Youth Diplomacy for Child Online Safety

Youth Diplomacy for Child Online Safety explores the role of international diplomacy, legal frameworks, and public policy in protecting children from risks in digital environments.

Inspired by Komang Gede Antareja Arya Yustisia Mudita's participation in the Asia Youth International Model United Nations (AYIMUN) as the delegate representing the Kingdom of Spain in the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) committee, this project examines the challenges children face in online gaming environments and the shared responsibilities of governments, technology companies, parents, and educational institutions in addressing those challenges.

Through position paper research and country-based policy analysis, the project connects international relations with children's rights, digital safety, and legal responsibility.

The central question: How can governments protect children online while ensuring that digital technology remains a safe environment for learning, creativity, and social connection?

Building on this MUN experience, LEXTEEN presents the project as an educational exploration of how international diplomacy, legal awareness, and youth advocacy can contribute to creating a safer digital world for children.

1. The Issue: Children's Safety in Online Gaming

Online video games offer children opportunities for entertainment, creativity, teamwork, and social interaction. However, these digital environments may also expose young users to various risks, including:

1. Online grooming: Exposure to potentially harmful individuals who may attempt to establish inappropriate or exploitative relationships with children.
2. Excessive screen time: Unhealthy gaming habits that may affect children's well-being and daily routines.
3. Gambling-like mechanics: Features such as loot boxes, gacha systems, and random-reward mechanisms that may raise concerns about their suitability for minors.
4. Inadequate age-appropriate safeguards: Insufficient protective features and safety mechanisms designed specifically for younger users.
5. Limited stakeholder coordination: Gaps in cooperation among governments, technology companies, families, and educational institutions.

These challenges cannot be addressed through parental supervision alone. Effective child protection also requires responsible platform design, appropriate safety measures, public education, and clear accountability among the stakeholders involved.

2. Representing Spain in the UNICEF Committee

During the Model United Nations conference, Komang Gede Antareja Arya Yustisia Mudita, known as Eja, represented the Kingdom of Spain in the UNICEF committee, examining the protection of children in online gaming environments from an international policy perspective.

His position paper highlighted Spain's approach to strengthening digital safeguards for minors, including age-appropriate protections, parental controls, restrictions on gambling-like gaming features, and greater responsibility for technology manufacturers and online platforms.

The research also explored international child online protection initiatives and Spain's proposed legislative framework aimed at strengthening the protection of minors in digital environments.

This experience required Eja to examine the issue from the perspective of a country representative rather than solely as an individual observer.

Through research, policy analysis, and diplomatic engagement, he explored how a country develops its position on an international issue, supports its arguments with relevant evidence, and communicates its policy priorities within a multilateral forum.

3. Legal and Policy Framework

This project examines three key areas of legal and policy development related to children's safety in digital environments.

A. International Child Online Protection

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU), through its Child Online Protection initiative, provides a framework for cooperation among children, parents, guardians, educators, industry representatives, and policymakers.

The initiative highlights the importance of coordinated efforts to address risks affecting children in digital environments and to support safer online experiences.

B. Spain's Digital Protection Policy

The MUN position paper examined Spain's proposed Draft Organic Law for the Protection of Minors in Digital Environments.

The proposed framework addressed several child protection priorities, including parental control mechanisms, safeguards against random-reward gaming features, digital education, and measures intended to prevent excessive technology use among minors.

These policy discussions illustrate how national legislation can play a role in addressing the challenges associated with children's participation in digital environments.

C. Shared Responsibility

Protecting children online requires cooperation among public authorities, technology companies, schools, families, and other relevant stakeholders.

Children's digital safety should not depend solely on their ability to recognize risks or on the supervision provided by parents and guardians.

Instead, appropriate protective measures should be incorporated into digital platforms and services, supported by public policy, education, and institutional accountability.

4. LEXTEEN Policy Recommendations

Building on the issues examined in the MUN position paper, LEXTEEN proposes six policy directions to strengthen the protection of children in online gaming environments.

1. Safer-by-Design Gaming

Encourage online gaming platforms to implement age-appropriate safety settings, accessible reporting mechanisms, and protective features designed to reduce harmful interactions.

2. Stronger Protection Against Online Grooming

Strengthen reporting procedures, content moderation practices, and cooperation between digital platforms and relevant authorities to improve protection against online grooming and potentially exploitative interactions.

3. Transparent Gaming Mechanics

Promote clear disclosure of random-reward systems, including loot boxes and gacha mechanisms, alongside appropriate safeguards to protect minors from potentially harmful gaming features.

4. Digital Literacy Education

Equip students with practical knowledge about online risks, personal privacy, digital manipulation, and responsible gaming habits.

5. Shared Accountability

Encourage stronger cooperation among governments, gaming companies, educational institutions, parents, and child protection organizations to establish more effective safety measures and clearly defined responsibilities.

6. Meaningful Youth Participation

Support the inclusion of young people in discussions and policy development concerning the digital platforms and environments they use.

Young people's perspectives can contribute to a better understanding of their online experiences and the challenges they encounter.

5. What This Project Demonstrates

Youth Diplomacy for Child Online Safety demonstrates how young people can connect international diplomacy with legal research, public policy, and advocacy.

Through his participation in AYIMUN, the founder of LEXTEEN explored several important areas of learning and development:

• Research and Legal Awareness: Identifying relevant legal frameworks, legislative proposals, and international child protection initiatives.
• International Relations: Understanding how a country develops and presents its position on issues of international concern.
• Critical Thinking: Examining the relationship between digital innovation, children's rights, and public safety.
• Policy Development: Transforming complex challenges into practical and structured policy recommendations.
• Advocacy and Communication: Developing and communicating an evidence-informed position on an issue affecting young people around the world.

The experience highlights the importance of connecting legal knowledge with international awareness and encouraging young people to engage thoughtfully with issues that affect their generation.

6. The LEXTEEN Perspective

At LEXTEEN, we believe that young people should not only understand the laws and policies that shape their digital lives but also have opportunities to participate in discussions about the rules designed to protect them.

Model United Nations provides a platform for developing an understanding of diplomacy, international relations, and policy analysis.

LEXTEEN builds on this experience by making legal and policy discussions more accessible to students and connecting complex legal issues with the challenges young people encounter in their everyday lives.

Through legal literacy, critical thinking, and youth participation, we aim to encourage greater awareness of children's rights and the importance of responsible digital environments.

Our message: Children deserve digital environments that respect their rights, protect their safety, and support their development.

Learn your rights. Understand the law. Shape the future.

Project Note

This project is an educational initiative inspired by a delegate's Model United Nations research and experience.

It is not an official UNICEF publication, an official statement by the Kingdom of Spain, or legal advice.