Sri Lanka Moves Toward Regional Cooperation to Strengthen Children’s Digital Safety

A Joint Regional Initiative to Strengthen Children’s Digital Safety

A special discussion on developing a coordinated national and regional programme to protect children and young people from the risks they face through social media and digital technology was held at the Prime Minister’s Office on September 21. The meeting was chaired by Prime Minister’s Secretary Pradeep Saputhanthri and attended by representatives of UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO).

The need to implement future measures to strengthen children’s digital safety across three key areas was emphasised during the discussion.

It was decided to focus on awareness and empowerment, the Safety by Design concept, and legislation and enforcement.

First, attention was given to raising awareness among children, parents and teachers about digital literacy and safe internet use. The Digital Task Force, with the support of UNICEF, has already prepared a draft Online Safety Guidelines document for children. The Ministry of Education is currently taking steps to introduce the guidelines as soon as possible.

The importance of the “Safety by Design” concept, which incorporates children’s safety and privacy from the outset when digital platforms are developed, was also highlighted. Rather than negotiating with global technology companies as an individual country, building regional cooperation representing a population of nearly two billion people would provide a stronger foundation for advocating for a safer digital environment.

As a step towards advancing this regional cooperation, a regional conference is scheduled to be held in Sri Lanka during the first half of 2027, following a proposal by the WHO. Prior to this, a special Roundtable Dialogue is also planned with the support of WHO and UNICEF, bringing together the Ministries of Education; Women and Child Affairs; Justice; Public Security; Health; and Digital Economy.

Attention was also focused on further strengthening the legal and technological measures already being implemented by the relevant government institutions. The upcoming Roundtable Dialogue is expected to provide further guidance on the way forward.

A delegation including UNICEF representative Emma Brigham and WHO representative Dr. Rajesh Pandav attended the occasion.