🔦 🔍💡 Children’s rights & digital: this report shows how to integrate a ‘children’s rights’ impact assessment from the design of platforms, apps and online public services. #ChildrensRights #ResponsibleDigital🛡️💻 Beyond parental control: the CRIA allows for a concrete analysis of how a policy or digital service affects the real lives of children, to adjust technical and budgetary choices. #healthpractices #DigitalLiteracy
📌 The report provides a clear framework for integrating children’s rights into the design, regulation and evaluation of digital services, beyond just ‘protection of minors’. It is directly useful to public policy makers, IT directors of institutions (education, health, social), digital prevention teams, NGOs, as well as medical-social actors deploying digital tools for children and teenagers. They can use it to demand or conduct their own ‘children’s rights’ impact assessments ex ante and ex post on their digital projects.
📜🔗LINK to the source
1. Analytical summary
Contexte et enjeux : des droits de l’enfant à l’environnement numérique
Le rapport part d’une question centrale : comment les fournisseurs de produits et services numériques peuvent‑ils évaluer l’impact de leurs activités sur les droits des enfants et des jeunes, conformément à la Convention relative aux droits de l’enfant (CDE) et à son Observation générale n°25 sur l’environnement numérique. Historiquement conçue pour les États, l’Évaluation d’impact sur les droits de l’enfant (CRIA) s’est progressivement étendue aux entreprises, en s’inscrivant dans la famille plus large des évaluations d’impact en droits humains (HRIA). Le rapport décrit la montée en puissance internationale de la CRIA, portée par des agences onusiennes (UNICEF, Comité des droits de l’enfant), le Conseil de l’Europe, le réseau ENOC, et par des pays pionniers en Europe et au-delà (Suède, Flandre, pays scandinaves, Canada, pays partenaires de l’UNICEF). Il met en évidence les obligations des États et les responsabilités des entreprises en matière de droits de l’enfant, y compris dans la gouvernance des données, des algorithmes et des interfaces. L’analyse montre qu’au Royaume‑Uni, la CRIA reste sous‑utilisée et fragmentée entre nations (Angleterre, Écosse, Pays de Galles, Irlande du Nord), malgré des avancées notables comme le Code « Age Appropriate Design » de l’ICO et les démarches CRWIA et CRIA dans les nations dévolues. L’enjeu principal posé au lecteur est de considérer qu’« il n’existe pas de politique neutre pour l’enfant » : tout dispositif numérique a des effets, positifs ou négatifs, qu’il faut documenter et anticiper.
Apports opérationnels : un outil à structurer, financer et diffuser
The core of the document proposes an operational definition of the CRIA, its terminological evolution, and above all an eight-step process ranging from initial filtering ("screening") to the publication of a report that is accessible and suitable for children. The report details the advantages of the CRIA (visibility of children in decisions, reduction of discrimination, better intersectoral coordination, support for the creation of "child-friendly" public services) but also its limitations (lack of legal obligation in many countries, lack of resources, bureaucratic perception, weakness of child rights expertise in administrations as well as in businesses). It lists concrete resources (UNICEF guides, EU-UNICEF toolkit, ENOC framework, Scottish CRWIA guide, sectoral tools for telecom operators and digital industries) that can serve as models for local actors. Specific attention is given to digital: recommendations from the UN, the Council of Europe, the EU (Digital Services Act), the UK Information Commissioner's Office, and initial experiences from companies like LEGO or independent audits such as Ranking Digital Rights. In conclusion, the report does not present the CRIA as "the miracle tool", but as a strategic lever to be used in a broader toolkit, including training, design standards, public procurement clauses, and non-financial reporting. It outlines concrete next steps: development of CRIA models adapted to digital, upskilling of professionals (engineers, designers, public officials) and systematic integration of the CRIA into funding, procurement, and regulation procedures for digital services.
2. Key points of the document
The CRIA as a specific variation of human rights impact assessment
The report defines the Child Rights Impact Assessment as a specialised form of Human Rights Impact Assessment, focused on the specific needs and rights of children (CRC and Optional Protocols), and places it within the overall architecture of state obligations and the UN guiding principles on business and human rights. It reminds that the CRIA can be conducted ex ante (before implementation) and ex post (evaluation of actual impacts), in addition to other types of impact assessments (equality, environment, data protection). (p. 6–12)
An eight-step process, including consultation with children
The document formalises an eight-step CRIA process: framing questions, screening, scoping, data collection, consultation with children and young people, impact analysis, identification of mitigation measures, monitoring-evaluation plan and publication of an accessible report. It emphasises the need to integrate children's views in a structured and non-symbolic way, and to produce non-technical summaries, tailored to different audiences. (p. 8–9)
International and national mapping of the CRIA
The report provides a precise mapping of the adoption of the CRIA in several European countries (Sweden, Flanders, Finland, Spain, Scotland, Wales, etc.), in North America and in some Southern countries through partnerships with UNICEF, distinguishing the legal bases, models and fields of application. For the United Kingdom, it details the divergent trajectories of England, Scotland (CRWIA), Wales and Northern Ireland, showing that the presence of legal obligations and dedicated resources strongly conditions the effective use of the CRIA. (p. 14–19)
The advantages and limitations of the CRIA as a public policy tool
The report outlines the advantages of the CRIA: placing the best interests of the child at the centre, anticipating adverse effects, reducing inequalities between groups of children, improving transparency and accountability of decision-makers. At the same time, it points out the limitations: absence of a unique definition, risk of formal use to justify decisions already made, lack of robust evidence of effectiveness, methodological difficulties in disaggregating effects by groups of children, deficit of child rights competencies within administrations and businesses. (p. 24)
An action agenda to generalise the CRIA in the digital environment
The final part proposes concrete levers to extend the CRIA to digital products and services: development of practical tools and case studies, initial and ongoing training (engineers, designers, public officials), mobilising political and institutional "champions", integrating the CRIA into funding requirements, public procurement, and reporting of large companies. The CRIA is presented as a lever to operationalise General Comment No. 25 on the digital, by making visible the impacts of technical choices (interface design, algorithms, data collection) on all children's rights. (p. 20–21, 25)
3. Action points for local actors
Integrate a CRIA logic into any digital project affecting children (p. 5–9, 20–21)
Local authorities, ARS, rectorates, medico-social establishments and associations can adopt, from the design phase of a digital project (support platform, patient file, ENT, prevention app), a mini-CRIA process: framing questions, screening, data collection, targeted consultation of children/users, identification of possible effects on their rights (access, confidentiality, participation, non-discrimination, etc.) and adjustment of the project. Even without a national legal framework, this approach can be integrated into your internal impact assessment or 'project quality' procedures.
Use existing guides as a methodological skeleton (p. 26–27)
Project teams can rely on the listed resources (UNICEF/Danish Institute for Human Rights guide, module 5 of the EU-UNICEF Child Rights Toolkit, ENOC Common Framework, Scottish CRWIA guide) to adapt a CRIA template to their local context, without starting from scratch. Specifically, it is possible to translate or simplify these grids to create a practical sheet to be used in CCTPs, calls for projects, or steering committees.
Condition digital purchases and partnerships on a minimum of due diligence 'children's rights' (p. 20–21, 23–25, 26–27)
When purchasing or co-constructing digital solutions (educational software, telehealth, support platforms), institutions can ask the supplier to describe how they assess and limit risks to children (data usage, exposure to content, complaint mechanisms, accessibility) by drawing on UNICEF sectoral tools (COSA, MO-CRIA) and standards such as the Children/ICO Code. This can be integrated as a contractual clause or a criterion for analysing offers.
Organising cross-training on children's rights and digital design (p. 10–12, 16, 20–21, 25)
General directorates, prevention services, digital services, and partner associations can co-organise training sessions involving lawyers, social workers, health professionals, data protection officers, and developers to share the basics of children's rights and the GDPR, and work on concrete cases of CRIA in a local context. The aim is to bridge the gap between legal/social expertise and technical expertise, identified as a major limitation to the effective implementation of the CRIA.
Documenting the real effects of digital devices on children and capitalising (p. 20–21, 24–25, 28–32)
Beyond ex ante, stakeholders can establish structured ex post evaluations: surveys of children and families, analysis of indicators (access disparities, security incidents, reported complaints), qualitative reviews with professionals. This feedback can feed into a local practical case base, enrich future CRIAs, and provide arguments to adjust policies or negotiate with suppliers.
4. Additional references
Building Children’s Futures – Child Rights Impact Assessment Training Toolkit (Eurochild and partners, 2024) - Toolkit intended for policymakers to implement the CRIA, with detailed steps, practical sheets, and exercises. Accessible online: Building Children’s Futures – Child Rights Impact Assessment Training Toolkit - https://childrensrights.ie/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Training-Toolkit_Final.pdf5. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What exactly is a Child Rights Impact Assessment (CRIA)?
The CRIA is a systematic process aimed at predicting and analysing the impact of a law, policy, budget measure, programme or service on children's rights, referring to the Convention on the Rights of the Child and its Protocols, to propose modifications and corrective measures. It is designed as an equivalent 'children's rights' assessment to human rights impact assessments and can be applied to public policies as well as business activities. (p. 6–8, 28–31)
How is the CRIA different from a simple risk analysis for minors?
A purely 'risk' approach mainly focuses on protection (prevention of harm), whereas the CRIA covers all rights (protection, participation, development, non-discrimination, privacy, etc.) and also seeks to identify potential benefits to strengthen. Furthermore, the CRIA relies on a legal framework (CRC, General Comments, national law) and includes consultation with children and an analysis of differentiated impacts according to groups of children. (p. 6, 8, 16, 20)
Who is responsible for conducting a CRIA in the digital domain?
States remain the primary responsible parties, required to establish CRIA mechanisms for their laws, policies, and public services, including digital ones. However, companies that design, operate, or provide digital services have a responsibility for human rights due diligence and must, according to the UN Guiding Principles and General Comment No. 25, integrate the CRIA or equivalent measures into their assessment and design processes. (p. 10–12, 20–21)
At what point in the project cycle should a CRIA be carried out?
The report recommends conducting the CRIA as early as possible, at the design and planning stage, as an ex ante evaluation allowing for adjustments to objectives, design, and resources before implementation. It also highlights the importance of ex post evaluations to verify actual impacts, whether positive or negative, and to foster continuous learning. (p. 10, 24–25)
How can children and young people be concretely involved in a CRIA?
One of the eight steps in the process is dedicated to data collection and consultation with children and young people, using appropriate methods (workshops, surveys, discussion groups, online tools) that take into account their age, maturity, and context. The report reminds us that ignoring or minimising the voice of children amounts to not respecting the principle of the best interests, and encourages documenting how their contributions have influenced the recommendations. (p. 8–9, 24, 28–32)
What are the main barriers to the use of CRIA identified by the report?
Major barriers include the lack of legal obligation in many countries, the perception of CRIA as an additional bureaucratic burden, the lack of training in children's rights among managers and technicians, as well as the difficulty in collecting disaggregated data on different groups of children. In some contexts, CRIA is used too late, after decisions have been made, and becomes a justification exercise rather than a decision-making tool. (p. 18, 24)
What practical resources does the report recommend for starting a CRIA?
The document lists several guides and tools: the UNICEF/Danish Institute guide for integrating children's rights into impact assessments, the EU-UNICEF Child Rights Toolkit (module 5), the ENOC common framework on CRIA, the Scottish Government's CRWIA guide, as well as sectoral tools like the Child Online Safety Assessment Tool and the MO-CRIA for mobile operators. These resources provide question matrices, standard steps, and examples that can be easily adapted to local or sectoral contexts. (p. 26–27)
6. Rewriting in Easy Read (summary + key points)
Title
The CRIA and the digital world
(Impact assessment on children's rights)
Easy Read Summary
This report talks about children's rights in the digital world.
It explains a tool called CRIA.
This tool is used to look at the effects of a law or service on children.
The CRIA should be done before and after a major project.
Children must be listened to during this work.
The aim is to protect children and respect all their rights.
Key points in Easy Read
What is CRIA?
CRIA is an analysis of the effects on children.
We look at the effects on health, safety, privacy, and participation.
We use the rules of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
The steps of CRIA
We start by checking if the project affects children.
We look for information and figures about the children involved.
We ask for the opinions of children, families, and professionals.
We write the risks and benefits for children.
We propose changes to reduce problems.
We plan for follow-up and a new analysis later.
The CRIA and the digital world
Children use the internet, games, and apps a lot.
These tools can help but can also cause harm.
The CRIA helps to think about all these effects before launching a service.
We look at data collection or targeted advertising, for example.
Who should carry out a CRIA?
Governments must carry out CRIAs for their laws and services.
Digital companies must also check their impacts.
Organisations that work with children can request a CRIA.
Strengths and limitations
The CRIA makes children visible in decisions.
It can reduce injustices between groups of children.
But it requires time, money, and trained people.
Sometimes, it is done too late and does not change decisions.
Values of health practices (cross-sectional reading)
Literacy: the report calls for producing "child-friendly" reports and non-technical summaries, but the text itself remains at an expert level and is poorly suited to low literacy levels.
Empowerment: it emphasises the need to consult children, to take their views into account, and to document the influence of their contributions in the recommendations.
Participation: children's participation is integrated as a mandatory step of the CRIA, through consultations, workshops, focus groups, and other mechanisms.
Community health: the collective dimension mainly appears through public policies (education, justice, health) and the consideration of groups of children, rather than through explicit community-based approaches.
Ethics: the report highlights the risks of bias, discrimination, and the invisibilisation of certain groups of children, and proposes the CRIA as a means to make these biases visible and discussed.
Human rights: it constantly relies on the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the General Comments, and the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, with a strong emphasis on equity and non-discrimination.
Intersectorality: numerous examples show the articulation between ministries (education, health, digital, justice), regulatory bodies, businesses, and NGOs.
Partnership: the tool is promoted as a space for cooperation between the state, ombudspersons, UN agencies, businesses, and civil society, including for the co-production of guides and tools.
Combating discrimination: the CRIA is described as a means to identify the differentiated impacts on children in situations of vulnerability (poverty, disability, migration context), but the report remains mostly conceptual and offers few detailed examples of corrective actions.
8. Assessment of the reliability of the resource
Scientific relevance: the report is signed by recognised authors (including Sonia Livingstone) and is widely referenced (over 40 pages with a solid bibliography), relying on UN texts, institutional guides, and academic work. The methodology is essentially literature review and public policy analysis, without a massive original empirical device, but rigorously sourced and updated at the time of publication (2021).
Operational relevance: the resource is very useful for understanding the general architecture of the CRIA, the actors and reference texts, and for accessing a list of existing tools. However, it remains little prescriptive for small or medium-sized field structures (social centres, local associations, medico-social establishments), which will need to adapt and significantly simplify the proposed approaches for daily use.