OECD Recommendation on the Protection of Children Online

The OECD published a report on the risks faced by children online and policies to protect them in 2011. Based on the report’s findings, the OECD Council adopted a Recommendation in 2012 calling for evidence-based policy making and enhanced domestic and international co-ordination to improve national policy frameworks. A free booklet brings together the Recommendation and the report.

Current work through 2021

The landscape that gave rise to the 2012 Recommendation has changed dramatically. In view of the findings of a consultation and analytical work, the Recommendation is being revised to take account of technological and legal developments since its adoption. A multistakeholder group of experts was established to support and advise on the revisions of the Recommendation.
 

We highlight work to update the Recommendation and consider some of the policy and legislative avenues countries take to protect children online and promote positive online use in a chapter of the publication Educating 21st Century Children: Emotional Well-being in the Digital Age (October 2019). A February 2020 policy note on growing up online also looks at how policies should address the needs of children in today's digital world.

A June 2020 OECD digital economy paper provides an overview of recent developments in legal frameworks and policies for protecting children online.

An August 2020 brief on combatting COVID-19's effect on children includes a section on the pandemic's many implications for children in the digital environment.

A January 2021 OECD digital economy paper provides a revised typology of risks for children in the digital environment.

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