Child Rights Protection in Cyberspace: Legal and Policy Perspectives

Abstract

The rapid expansion of digital technologies, social media platforms, online gaming, artificial intelligence, and internet-based educational services has significantly transformed children's access to information, communication, and learning opportunities. While cyberspace offers numerous educational, social, and developmental benefits, it also exposes children to serious risks such as cyberbullying, online grooming, child sexual exploitation, identity theft, privacy violations, misinformation, cyber addiction, and exposure to harmful digital content. Protecting children's rights in cyberspace has therefore emerged as a major concern within international human rights law, national legal systems, and digital governance policies. International instruments such as the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) , the Budapest Convention on Cybercrime , and the Optional Protocol on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography provide important legal foundations for safeguarding children in digital environments. In India, legislative measures including the Information Technology Act, 2000 , the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012 , the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 , the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 , and various cybersecurity initiatives have strengthened child protection online. Emerging challenges associated with artificial intelligence, deepfake technologies, algorithmic manipulation, online gaming, and cross-border cybercrime require coordinated legal, technological, and policy responses. This study examines the evolving legal framework governing child rights protection in cyberspace, analyzes international and Indian legal developments, evaluates emerging digital threats, and proposes future policy measures for creating a safer, rights-based, and child-friendly digital environment.