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UN Launches Global Coalition to Shield Children from AI Risks
When Spain’s digital‑transformation minister Óscar López unveiled the UN‑backed coalition in Geneva, he sounded a warning about a new pandemic of AI‑driven harms. During a two‑day session of the UN Global Dialogue on AI Governance, López announced the formation of an international partnership that will work to protect children from the escalating dangers posed by artificial intelligence.
The coalition already boasts 20 signatories, including the International Telecommunication Union, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, UNICEF, France, Kenya and the European Union. López, speaking on Tuesday, compared the lag in regulation of social media to a “late response” and described AI as a fresh source of mental‑health crises, bullying, and even suicide. He accused some billionaires of profiting from children’s data and called for a coordinated global response.
Under the United Nations framework, the coalition will strengthen coordination and promote best practices among governments, large‑tech firms and civil society. Signatories have pledged that children’s voices will “meaningfully contribute to the design, deployment and governance of AI systems that affect them.”
The urgency of the initiative is underscored by a February study co‑published by UNICEF. The research found that at least 1.2 million children in 11 countries had their images manipulated into sexually explicit deepfakes within the past year. It also revealed that 68 % of children surveyed across 49 countries were worried about fake information, while 63 % said they used AI to help with schoolwork. More than half of respondents called for better protection of privacy and personal information, and 41 % said AI systems should be safe and suitable for children.
The coalition’s first concrete step will be a meeting under the UN General Assembly in September in New York, López said. The goal is to broaden support, especially from developing countries. Current members include El Salvador, Indonesia, Morocco, Brazil, Canada, Japan, Korea and several European states. The meeting will also discuss the proposed AI Child Safety Pledge, a framework that UN Secretary‑General Antonio Guterres has urged governments and companies to adopt. The pledge would require companies to prove that any system accessible to children is safe and has zero tolerance for sexual abuse.
The initiative arrives amid a wave of national actions aimed at limiting children’s exposure to harmful content. The United Kingdom and Australia have announced plans to ban social‑media platforms for users under 16, while Spain has joined the effort. These bans form part of a broader strategy to address the rapid adoption of AI in education, communication and entertainment.
Civil‑society groups have also called for stricter safeguards. A coalition of more than 100 organisations, including Amnesty International and Save the Children, issued a joint appeal urging governments to require products to meet safety criteria before market entry or face financial penalties. Leanda Barrington‑Leach, executive director of the 5Rights Foundation, warned that “as long as companies are rewarded for speed, engagement and data extraction rather than safety, we’ll keep treating the symptoms while the disease becomes endemic.”
The coalition’s focus on child rights aligns with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, the most widely ratified human‑rights treaty. Volker Türk, the UN human‑rights chief, stressed that translating existing legal frameworks into practice is essential. He cited a recent survey of 1,100 children aged 10 to 17, noting that the findings will help ensure that children’s rights are not merely lip‑service.
In short, the UN‑backed coalition represents a coordinated attempt to tackle the multifaceted risks AI poses to children. The upcoming September meeting will set the stage for a global AI Child Safety Pledge, while national bans on social media for minors signal a growing recognition of the need for protective measures. The coalition’s success will hinge on governments, tech firms and civil‑society actors adopting concrete safeguards, enforcing them, and keeping children’s voices at the center of AI governance.
The coalition already boasts 20 signatories, including the International Telecommunication Union, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, UNICEF, France, Kenya and the European Union. López, speaking on Tuesday, compared the lag in regulation of social media to a “late response” and described AI as a fresh source of mental‑health crises, bullying, and even suicide. He accused some billionaires of profiting from children’s data and called for a coordinated global response.
Under the United Nations framework, the coalition will strengthen coordination and promote best practices among governments, large‑tech firms and civil society. Signatories have pledged that children’s voices will “meaningfully contribute to the design, deployment and governance of AI systems that affect them.”
The urgency of the initiative is underscored by a February study co‑published by UNICEF. The research found that at least 1.2 million children in 11 countries had their images manipulated into sexually explicit deepfakes within the past year. It also revealed that 68 % of children surveyed across 49 countries were worried about fake information, while 63 % said they used AI to help with schoolwork. More than half of respondents called for better protection of privacy and personal information, and 41 % said AI systems should be safe and suitable for children.
The coalition’s first concrete step will be a meeting under the UN General Assembly in September in New York, López said. The goal is to broaden support, especially from developing countries. Current members include El Salvador, Indonesia, Morocco, Brazil, Canada, Japan, Korea and several European states. The meeting will also discuss the proposed AI Child Safety Pledge, a framework that UN Secretary‑General Antonio Guterres has urged governments and companies to adopt. The pledge would require companies to prove that any system accessible to children is safe and has zero tolerance for sexual abuse.
The initiative arrives amid a wave of national actions aimed at limiting children’s exposure to harmful content. The United Kingdom and Australia have announced plans to ban social‑media platforms for users under 16, while Spain has joined the effort. These bans form part of a broader strategy to address the rapid adoption of AI in education, communication and entertainment.
Civil‑society groups have also called for stricter safeguards. A coalition of more than 100 organisations, including Amnesty International and Save the Children, issued a joint appeal urging governments to require products to meet safety criteria before market entry or face financial penalties. Leanda Barrington‑Leach, executive director of the 5Rights Foundation, warned that “as long as companies are rewarded for speed, engagement and data extraction rather than safety, we’ll keep treating the symptoms while the disease becomes endemic.”
The coalition’s focus on child rights aligns with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, the most widely ratified human‑rights treaty. Volker Türk, the UN human‑rights chief, stressed that translating existing legal frameworks into practice is essential. He cited a recent survey of 1,100 children aged 10 to 17, noting that the findings will help ensure that children’s rights are not merely lip‑service.
In short, the UN‑backed coalition represents a coordinated attempt to tackle the multifaceted risks AI poses to children. The upcoming September meeting will set the stage for a global AI Child Safety Pledge, while national bans on social media for minors signal a growing recognition of the need for protective measures. The coalition’s success will hinge on governments, tech firms and civil‑society actors adopting concrete safeguards, enforcing them, and keeping children’s voices at the center of AI governance.
