| APrIGF 2024 Session Proposal Submission Form | |||||||||||||||
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| Part 1 - Lead Organizer | |||||||||||||||
| Contact Person | |||||||||||||||
| Mr. LUKE RONG GUANG TEOH | |||||||||||||||
| Organization / Affiliation (Please state "Individual" if appropriate) * | |||||||||||||||
| NetMission.Asia | |||||||||||||||
| Designation | |||||||||||||||
| Youth Ambassador | |||||||||||||||
| Gender | |||||||||||||||
| Male | |||||||||||||||
| Economy of Residence | |||||||||||||||
| Malaysia | |||||||||||||||
| Primary Stakeholder Group | |||||||||||||||
| Youth / Students | |||||||||||||||
| List Your Organizing Partners (if any) | |||||||||||||||
| Stella Anne Teoh Ming Hui, NetMission.Asia, stella.teoh@netmission.asia Bea Guevara, NetMission.Asia, bea.guevarra@netmission.asia |
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| Part 2 - Session Proposal | |||||||||||||||
| Session Title | |||||||||||||||
| Securing Trust: Ethical Governance in Championing Children's Digital Rights | |||||||||||||||
| Session Format | |||||||||||||||
| Panel Discussion (60 minutes) | |||||||||||||||
| Where do you plan to organize your session? | |||||||||||||||
| Onsite at the venue (with online moderator for questions and comments from remote participants) | |||||||||||||||
| Specific Issues for Discussion | |||||||||||||||
| Issues will be addressed via a bottom-up approach, ensuring inclusivity to leverage diverse perspectives. Grassroots Empowerment for Equitable Access and Inclusivity: Panellists will address barriers hindering equitable safe access for children of diverse genders, backgrounds, and abilities—a core digital right for children. The discussion focuses on empowering children to ensure accessibility and inclusivity in designing safe online spaces. Digital Literacy: Strategies for Critical Thinking and Ethical Engagement: Panelists will discuss strategies to promote critical thinking and ethical engagement among children in digital spaces. The conversation will delve into the importance of children protecting their rights while navigating emerging technologies safely and responsibly, addressing concerns related to transparency and privacy. Online Safety: Balancing Children's Rights and Responsibilities: The discussion will shift to achieving online safety for children amidst emerging technologies. Panellists will explore how robust safety measures, like age-appropriate content moderation and parental controls, can be developed and implemented, balancing rights and responsibilities. Regulatory Frameworks for Ethical Governance: The role of legal and regulatory frameworks in ensuring ethical governance of emerging technologies, particularly concerning children's digital rights, will be explored. The conversation focuses on adaptive regulatory approaches balancing innovation with ethical considerations to protect children’s rights and prepare them for the evolving digital sphere. Advocating for children's rights in the evolving digital age paves the way for a safer, inclusive internet. It underscores the importance of the Internet Governance Ecosystem evolving and enduring principles for a safer Internet for all. |
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| Describe the Relevance of Your Session to APrIGF | |||||||||||||||
| Through a multistakeholder dialogue between youth representatives, academia, civil society, and government, we aim to drive meaningful discourse, resulting in positive change that creates a safer and more inclusive internet ecosystem for all children in the Asia Pacific region. Concrete strategies ensuring the ethical governance of emerging technologies through prioritizing children's digital rights and safety online, will be the fruits of this panel discussion. We highlight a crucial but frequently neglected facet of Internet governance, which is gaining prominence as Internet access expands, especially in the APAC region: Child online safety and digital rights; very few workshops at APriGF 2023 centred on this vital topic. Aligning with the overarching theme of Evolving Ecosystems and Enduring Principles; it's time to evolve and prioritize children's rights in the digital realm, enduring the principle of equal rights for children, ensuring their voices are heard. We aim to illuminate the Asia Pacific perspective on children's digital rights, validating the region's unique challenges and opportunities. This region has specific cultural, social, and regulatory contexts that require tailored approaches. By incorporating local (Taiwan) and regional perspectives, we can better address the complexities of safeguarding children's digital rights in the region to shape ethical governance of emerging technologies, resulting in safer online spaces for children. Equality and empowerment are integral to our discussion. We acknowledge that inequalities and biases can impact children's online experiences and access to digital resources. Our session will explore how inclusive approaches can promote equal opportunities for All children in the digital realm. We will also address the importance of empowering children to navigate digital spaces safely and responsibly, regardless of their backgrounds. |
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| Methodology / Agenda (Please add rows by clicking "+" on the right) | |||||||||||||||
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| Moderators & Speakers Info (Please complete where possible) | |||||||||||||||
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| Please explain the rationale for choosing each of the above contributors to the session. | |||||||||||||||
| Omor Faruque, a passionate 17-year-old youth advocate from Bangladesh, is committed to children's digital rights. As the driving force behind Project OMNA, his mobile app aims to enhance mental well-being and raise awareness of children's rights. With his grassroots experience and youth perspective, Omor brings valuable insights and inspiring leadership to empower other young voices. His dedication makes him an ideal choice for this critical panel discussion on child online safety, serving as a role model, and demonstrating the importance of youth voices in shaping the future. Hao-Tian Ted Lu is currently working at the K-12 Education Administration, Ministry of Education, Taiwan, as an Advisory Committee Member. He is actively engaged in youth efforts in Internet Governance and possesses an academic background in Law and Journalism, which helps share issues and viewpoints from the perspective of the local host nation. Hao-Tian Ted Lu's extensive engagement showcases how youth can transition from advocates to professionals. He is confirmed to be present in person. Ella Serry is the Manager of International Engagement at the eSafety Commissioner, a pioneering government organization dedicated to ensuring the online safety of citizens. Based in Australia, Ella plays a crucial role in fostering international collaborations and partnerships to address online safety challenges on a global scale. With a focus on governmental and regulatory aspects, she contributes significantly to policy dialogues and initiatives that aim to protect children and uphold digital rights across the Asia-Pacific region. Ella's expertise and experience are invaluable in shaping discussions around online safety in the international arena. Agita Pasaribu, Founder and Executive Director of Bullyid Indonesia, pioneers efforts to combat online gender-based violence and support victims. Her innovative Bullyid App provides crucial psychological and legal aid, benefiting over 100k+ Indonesians. Agita's impactful work has garnered national and global acclaim, with features in 100+ news outlets. Before starting Bullyid Indonesia, Agita was the Youth IGF Ambassador for Indonesia. Additionally, Agita is a member of the UNESCO Youth AI Ethics Steering Committee, further demonstrating her commitment to youth empowerment in digital governance and cyber harassment prevention. Andy Ardian is the Program Manager at ECPAT Indonesia, an organization committed to combating the sexual exploitation of children. Based in Indonesia, Andy plays a pivotal role in the Down To Zero initiative, which focuses on eradicating child exploitation through strategic interventions and advocacy. His work involves coordinating programs that aim to protect children's rights and create safer environments for them across the region. With his confirmed presence at the upcoming discussions, Andy's insights and experiences will be instrumental in advancing the conversation on child protection and exploitation prevention. The speakers were selected to foster a multistakeholder dialogue, reflecting diversity in gender, age, stakeholder group, and geographic background. Omor and Ted offer youth & academic perspectives, while Agita, Andy, and Ella bring professional expertise. Gender perspectives, equality, inclusion, and empowerment are central themes, with speakers addressing unique contexts. The APAC perspective is highlighted, with speakers from Australia, Bangladesh, Indonesia, and Taiwan providing regional insights. By comparing local, regional, and global perspectives, the session aims to identify commonalities and opportunities for collaboration. |
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| If you need assistance to find a suitable speaker to contribute to your session, or an onsite facilitator for your online-only session, please specify your request with details of what you are looking for. | |||||||||||||||
| N/A | |||||||||||||||
| Please declare if you have any potential conflict of interest with the Program Committee 2024. | |||||||||||||||
| No | |||||||||||||||
| Are you or other session contributors planning to apply for the APrIGF Fellowship Program 2024? | |||||||||||||||
| Yes | |||||||||||||||
| Brief Summary of Your Session | |||||||||||||||
| The session started a bit late due to the previous session being 10 minutes overtime. After a brief introduction of the session and the speakers, Luke, the main moderator, prompted the first speaker, Andy Ardian, who was onsite, to start the discussion. After all the speakers had shared their thoughts and points, the floor was open for questions. However, due to the previous session not ending on time, most of the questions were not able to be answered especially if the questions were directed to online speakers. We also had to ensure we ended on time due to the townhall session beginning soon. |
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| Substantive Summary of the Key Issues Raised and the Discussion | |||||||||||||||
| In our workshop "Securing Trust: Ethical Governance in Championing Children's Digital Rights," we explored the pressing challenges and opportunities for safeguarding children's digital rights in the Asia Pacific region. I began by acknowledging the region's unique cultural, social, and regulatory contexts that require tailored approaches. The conversation quickly focused on the gaps in digital literacy and how these gaps, compounded by issues such as gender inequality, socioeconomic barriers, and infrastructure limitations, hinder equitable and safe access for children. Andy Ardian from ECPAT Indonesia stressed the importance of empowering children in Southeast Asia to advocate for their rights by involving them in policy-making processes. He pointed out the need to address barriers related to gender, socioeconomic status, and accessibility, advocating for a multi-stakeholder approach to overcome these challenges. Agita Pasaribu from Bullyid Indonesia highlighted the importance of promoting critical thinking and responsible digital engagement among children. She spoke about integrating age-appropriate digital citizenship into national curricula and addressing issues like the generational knowledge gap, privacy, and transparency. She also touched on the challenges of sexual education and online gaming platforms. Omor Faruque, a youth advocate from Bangladesh, and Ted Lu from Taiwan’s Ministry of Education provided insights into online safety and information governance. They discussed the need for robust safety measures, such as age-appropriate content moderation, as well as the critical role of parental involvement in protecting children's digital rights. Finally, Ella Serry from Australia’s eSafety Commissioner discussed regulatory frameworks and how we can balance innovation with ethical governance to protect children’s rights in the evolving digital sphere. Overall, the session highlighted the importance of regional collaboration to create a safer, more inclusive digital environment for children in the Asia Pacific. |
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| Conclusions and Suggestions of Way Forward | |||||||||||||||
| Our workshop, "Securing Trust: Ethical Governance in Championing Children's Digital Rights," has demonstrated the urgent need for continuous dialogue and action around children's online safety and digital rights in the Asia Pacific. It’s clear that this conversation cannot end here. More sessions like this are essential to foster a deeper understanding of the region’s unique challenges and to generate actionable solutions. One key recommendation is to establish more targeted, regional platforms where stakeholders can regularly meet to discuss and address digital rights issues. Governments, NGOs, educators, tech companies, and youth advocates should be engaged in these forums to ensure a comprehensive, inclusive approach to policymaking. The success of today’s session in bringing together such diverse voices highlights the value of this collaborative model. Moving forward, expanding these conversations into regular, structured sessions would enable us to respond more effectively to emerging challenges. Education is another crucial area for development. Incorporating digital literacy and online safety into school curricula is a tangible step we can take. Encouraging governments and educational institutions to develop comprehensive programs that teach children how to protect their digital rights is essential. This approach, as mentioned by several of our speakers, is critical to bridging the gap between children's access to technology and their ability to navigate it safely and responsibly. Furthermore, regulatory bodies need to adopt more flexible frameworks that protect children while accommodating the fast-paced nature of technological change. Without adaptive governance, the risk of children being left behind—or worse, exploited—in the digital age increases. |
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| Number of Attendees (Please fill in numbers) | |||||||||||||||
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| Gender Balance in Moderators/Speakers (Please fill in numbers) | |||||||||||||||
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| How were gender perspectives, equality, inclusion or empowerment discussed? Please provide details and context. | |||||||||||||||
| Starting with the session organizers, inclusivity was prioritized with 1 male and 2 female organizers all coming from the APAC region. In terms of speakers there was also rich diversity as you can refer to the reasoning of speaker selection, above. In terms of the actual discussion, once again due to the speaker's themselves coming from various backgrounds, the points that were raised were unique and special, reducing the chances of there being echo-chambers or similar opinions being raised or given by different speakers. In short, the session organizers believe that this panel of speakers was able to encompass the APAC region as broadly as possible in terms of gender, equality, inclusion and also stakeholder groups. Once again you may refer to the speaker selection reasoning above. |
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| Consent | |||||||||||||||
 I agree that my data can be submitted to forms.for.asia and processed by APrIGF organizers for the program selection of APrIGF 2024. |
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