This Legislative Mapping Document is the first element leading to the SAILS Safe Resource for Parents. It is aiming at summarising the international legislation around a safe digital childhood and the national implementation of these regulations as well as other national legislative and quasi-legislative elements.
It will be followed by the following:
– Research evidence on safe digital childhood
– Self-assessment tool for parents about their digital practices
– Inspiring practices for parents as educators
– A summary of other outcomes of the SAILS project, especially the mock social network forming the core of the SAILS approach
The work done is explain and pursuing a risk mitigation instead of the more wide-spread risk prevention one, primarily based on General Comment No. 25 (March 2021) tot he UN Convention ont he Rights of the Child that
– – emphasises the importance of balancing ALL rights
– – gives parents a key role related to evolving capacities of the child
The deliverables are built on the most recent research evidence (eg. Sonia Livingstone, recent Cuncil of Europe research done with parents, research in the European Education Policy Network on Teachers and School Leaders (EEPN) on digital age and education, etc.)
While designing this resource the WHO recommendations on active and sedentary screen time and related documents are taken into account.
Last, but not least, the authors consider that parents have diverse approaches and methods
The current legislative mapping exercise had found that a safe and healthy digital childhood is provided for in international legislation while some national legislative regulations may be over-restrictive both violating the rights of children and parents.