Digital technologies have already shifted the dynamic of many homes, classrooms, and multimedia platforms, but is the child’s best interest central to these experiences? How does technology shape the minds and behaviours of the coming generations?

The Global Campus of Human Rights MOOC on Children’s Rights and Technology in the Digital Age takes a deep dive into how often children are exposed to these futuristic, and sometimes problematic, technological developments. Through a human rights approach, the course plays a role in promoting a more ethical, human-centric, and accessible tech-infused future.

The MOOC is structured in 5 modules:
Module 1 introduces the main concepts in children’s rights, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and biometrics and how they impact children in unprecedented ways.
Module 2 focuses on legal instruments, international recommendations, and examples in children’s right to privacy and data protection.
Module 3 delves into the linkages between early-childhood development and new technologies and examines the right to play in the digital age.
Module 4 explores the meaning of the right to education in the digital era and the role of educational technology in preparing children for the future workplace.
Module 5 investigates developments in the field of new technologies and children’s right to health and safety, with a focus on digital health and child online exploitation.

Coordinated by a team of researchers from GC Europe, the course features relevant actors from a multitude of perspectives on the topic, ranging from legal experts on privacy and data protection for children and researchers studying technology’s effects on child development to policy experts and activists working for civil society organisations.