Part 1
Introduction – Upbringing in a digital society

1 A safe, active and participatory upbringing

1.1 Children and young people in a digital society

All children shall have good and safe conditions for upbringing and life. They shall be able to manage their own lives and be well-equipped for adulthood. These objectives are the cornerstone of child and youth policy and remain unchanged, even as the world in which children grow up changes.

Today, children grow up with screens, technology, and big technology companies as part of their everyday lives. Therefore, the Government will take steps to ensure that all children receive a safe upbringing in a digital world. Screens and algorithms should not consume a child’s upbringing. Screen use is extensive, and Norwegian children and young people have among the highest levels of screen use, social media use, and digital technology engagement in the world. The challenges we face must be solved together. Adults around children, authorities, and service providers must ensure that the digital environment is safe and adapted to children. To do this, we must recognise the challenges and problems we face and understand the landscape. The Government seeks to take measures that safeguard children’s rights and to weigh children’s various rights against one another, where necessary. Digital development is rapid, and a child’s everyday life today looks vastly different from just a few years ago. Knowledge about how digital technology affects children is also developing rapidly, but it lags behind the technology that shapes children’s everyday lives. Therefore, the Government believes it is sensible to take a precautionary approach to ensure that children growing up are not exposed to technology that could be harmful to them and their development.

In Norway, children and young people grow up with easy access to screens such as smartphones, tablets, and PCs. These devices are a natural part of children’s and young people’s everyday lives. Increased access to the internet and digital tools provides children and young people with opportunities, including for self-expression, play, and learning. At the same time, increased access to the internet and digital tools presents a number of new risks. Through digital platforms, commercial actors have a major influence on children’s everyday lives.

There is insufficient knowledge about the consequences of screen use; however, what we do know suggests that it has several negative effects on children. Children and young people are often left alone to process the impressions and challenges they encounter in digital channels. Parents are responsible for protecting children and giving them a safe upbringing. The digital pressure on children is so extensive that parents find it difficult to cope with it on their own. Many parents are asking for clear advice on how to deal with the challenges this presents. Today, society is also failing to adequately protect children and young people in the digital environment. The Government wants to address this issue. Mobile phones have already been removed from classrooms through a clear recommendation. Increased penalties for illegal marketing to children has been proposed. Platform providers and commercial operators are subject to closer monitoring by the authorities. Professional advice on screen use has also recently been developed to guide children, parents, guardians, health personnel, and other professionals.

The Government is concerned that screen use is occurring at the expense of other activities that are important for a healthy and balanced upbringing. For example, physical activity, good sleep, and reading books are important for brain development and for children and young people’s learning. The content of digital services and their use can also be harmful to children and challenge their rights, particularly with regard to privacy and consumer protection, and the right to a life free from violence. The negative aspects of children’s internet use most affect children who are already in vulnerable situations.

The Government will continue to strengthen its efforts to create a safe environment for children and young people when they use technology and explore the internet. The Government will develop policies that protect children while balancing the positive and negative aspects of children’s internet use. Children’s rights must be safeguarded in the digital environment, as in the physical environment.

The Government believes that there is a need for common frameworks and rules for children’s use of social media, digital platforms, and other digital tools, and that it is a policy task to make it practically possible to limit children’s and young people’s screen use.

The family is crucial in providing children with a good and safe upbringing. Children depend on their parents and other caregivers to look after their interests and needs – including their everyday digital lives. Parents have an important role in guiding and safeguarding the child’s right to participation and in making decisions in the best interests of the child. The screen use exhibited by parents and other family members also affects children’s development and upbringing. The Government believes it is important to raise awareness of adults’ screen use and its impact on families and children. Increased knowledge and better advice and guidance will ensure children a safer and better upbringing.

In addition to the family, kindergartens and schools shall help children and young people develop the skills they need to manage their everyday lives. Children and young people’s digital competence is important for how they manage their lives, their development, and their future opportunities.

However, parents and children should not be left alone to deal with the challenges they face in a digital society. Public services that work with children, young people, and parents and guardians shall have sufficient knowledge of the challenges faced by children and parents and guardians to understand, follow up, and protect children and young people. They shall also provide guidance to parents.

The Government seeks to reduce commercial pressure and harmful use and protect children from sexual exploitation. Therefore, there is a need to regulate children’s access to screens and digital devices more extensively, with measures that limit the risks. The Government will require technology companies that offer digital services to help protect children and facilitate safer use of their services.

Thus, the Government is hereby presenting the first comprehensive white paper on children’s upbringing in a digital society. The report contains an evidence base, objectives, and measures suitable for taking important steps to ensure the fundamental goal of child and youth policy: that all children shall have a good and safe upbringing and living conditions, and that they shall be able to manage their own lives and be well-equipped for adulthood.

1.2 The Government’s objectives

The Government will develop a comprehensive and evidence-based policy for children’s digital upbringing. In a digital society, it is crucial that children are safe, that they actively participate in the digital environment by engaging and seizing the opportunities offered by the internet, and that they feel included. The authorities shall be active drivers in strengthening children’s rights in the digital environment. This requires good coordination and alignment across sectors. Children’s rights must be at the heart of policy, and children shall be actively involved in the development of policies and measures.

The Government will work to ensure that:

Digital services, platforms, and marketing on the internet are adequately regulated and safeguard children’s rights

Digital tools and media strengthen many of the rights of the child, but technology is not neutral and is often not adapted to children. The authorities also expect service providers and platform owners to safeguard children’s rights. Children shall be protected against commercial exploitation, harmful content, abuse, and misuse of personal data. Legislation shall impose requirements on technology companies offering digital services used by children to both ensure the protection of children and facilitate the proper and safe use of those services.

Public services are accessible, up-to-date, and adapted to children and young people

Adults who work with children must have knowledge about children’s everyday digital lives. They must understand the opportunities children have online, the services they use, and the challenges they may face. This is necessary in order to ask the right questions, work preventively, and help and protect children when needed.

Parents and caregivers shall have knowledge about children’s everyday digital lives

Parents and caregivers are responsible for providing children with a good and safe upbringing, and they must have the knowledge needed to manage children’s everyday digital lives. Children depend on parents and others to safeguard their interests, needs, and rights in a digital society. Parents must have the knowledge needed to secure their children’s future in the best interests of the child. Parents are role models, and their internet use affects their children’s development and rights.

Children and young people shall be aware of their rights and how to stay safe online

Children must be equipped to handle the challenges they encounter online. This means that children must learn how to stay safe online, how and why to set limits on their screen use, what rights they have, and where they can get help when they need it. It is also about ensuring that adults in schools and kindergartens have the knowledge to guide them.

The authorities are developing a comprehensive and evidence-based policy for children and young people’s digital upbringing

In order to give children and young people a safe upbringing, the policy must be comprehensive, coordinated, and evidence-based. Children and young people must be involved in policy development to ensure that it is relevant and adapted to their needs. Enhanced research, sharing, and dissemination of knowledge, along with cross-sectoral cooperation, all guided by the best interests of the child, will pave the way forward.

1.3 Children’s fundamental rights

Children have special rights under the Constitution of Norway and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child that shall be safeguarded, including in the digital environment.

Article 104 of the Constitution covers human rights that apply specifically to children, and through this provision, several of the most fundamental international principles of children’s rights are enshrined in the Constitution. The first paragraph stipulates that children have the right to respect for their human dignity and that they have the right to be heard. The principle that the best interests of the child shall be a primary consideration for actions and decisions that affect children derives from the second paragraph, while the protection of children’s personal integrity and their right to development are outlined in the third paragraph. Article 100 of the Constitution enshrines freedom of expression as a fundamental human right. The general protection of freedom of expression also applies to children.

The Convention on the Rights of the Child was ratified in 1991 and lays the foundation for children’s rights. The articles of the Convention that are particularly relevant to children’s digital upbringing are Article 13 on children’s right to freedom of expression and Article 17 on the right to information, including the right to protection from information that is harmful to children’s well-being. Children’s specific right to privacy is enshrined in Article 16 of the Convention, and Article 24 stipulates that children have the right to the highest attainable standard of health. Furthermore, Article 18(1) of the Convention stipulates that both parents have common responsibilities for the upbringing and development of the child, and that the best interests of the child will be their basic concern. Article 18(2) stipulates that States Parties shall provide appropriate assistance to parents and guardians in the performance of their child-rearing responsibilities. According to Article 5 of the Convention, the authorities shall respect the responsibilities, rights, and duties of parents to provide direction and guidance in the child’s upbringing. According to Article 19, States Parties shall take all appropriate measures to protect the child from all forms of physical or mental violence, injury or abuse.

The Government proposes to strengthen children’s fundamental rights in the bill on a new Children Act (Prop. 117 L (2024–2025)). An introductory chapter on rights is proposed, which focuses on the rights of the child and clarifies the consideration of the best interests of the child, the child’s right to participation, the child’s right to care, development, and protection from violence, the child’s right not to be discriminated against, and the child’s right to family life. Furthermore, the Government proposes a new provision on children’s right to privacy and parents’ responsibility to safeguard this right.

1.3.1 Children’s rights in the digital environment

In 2021, the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child published General comment No. 25 on children’s rights in relation to the digital environment. The purpose is to provide guidance to States Parties and other actors on how to protect children’s rights in the digital world. General comment No. 25 provides specific recommendations on how this can be achieved. The main points of the comment can be summarised as follows:

• Children have the right to participate in the digital environment and enjoy the benefits it offers. At the same time, States Parties and other actors must protect children from potential risks and dangers.

• States Parties and other actors must ensure children’s right to privacy and data protection in the digital environment. This includes limiting the collection and use of children’s personal data and protecting them from surveillance and tracking.

• Children have the right to freedom of expression in the digital environment, but this right must be weighed against the need to protect children from harmful content and harmful behaviour from other users.

• States Parties and other actors must protect children from online bullying and other forms of digital violence. This means ensuring effective legal remedies and support measures for child victims.

• Children have the right to access information and knowledge online. States Parties and other actors must ensure that all children have equal opportunities to participate in the digital environment, regardless of their economic, geographical, or social background. Provision should be made for training children, parents, caregivers, teachers, and relevant professionals.

• States Parties and other actors must protect children from sexual exploitation, abuse, and child trafficking online.

• Children have the right to participate in the development of technology and digital services that affect their lives. States Parties and other actors must involve children in the development of policies and measures that affect their rights in the digital world.

1.3.2 Children and young people’s participation in the work on the white paper

The Government involves children and young people in the development of policies concerning their upbringing, in line with the Constitution of Norway and the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Children and young people have participated in the work on the white paper through youth representatives from the county authorities’ youth councils, youth organisations, youth panels, surveys, and the Sámi Pupil Forum.

The Norwegian Media Authority established Ungdomsnettverket (the Youth Network) in connection with the development of an action plan for a safe digital upbringing. The Youth Network has provided comments and made demands for the Government’s work on children’s digital upbringing (see Box 1.1).

See also the appendix for a description of the actors who have contributed to the work on the white paper.

1.4 Background to the white paper

This is the first white paper to provide a comprehensive overview of children’s digital upbringing. In line with the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the term ‘child’ in this white paper means every human being below the age of 18 years.

A number of measures have been initiated to safeguard children’s safe digital upbringing. This white paper assesses the measures in context and weighs them against children’s various rights. The white paper builds on the white paper on art and culture for, with and by children and young people (Meld. St. 18 (2020–2021)), which provides a thorough description of digital culture and sets out the premises for central government coordination in this area. It also builds on Rett på nett (Rights online), the national strategy for a safe digital upbringing, which was presented in 2021. The strategy describes the opportunities and challenges in children’s digital upbringing. The strategy describes how the vast majority of children thrive online and associate many positive things with the digital world, while also highlighting the risks associated with children’s internet use. A national strategy for preventing and combating internet-related abuse was presented in 2021 and contains a number of measures to protect children from internet-related abuse and sexual abuse online. The same applies to the draft resolution on an escalation plan to combat violence and abuse against children and violence in close relationships (2024–2028) (Prop. 36 S (2023–2024)), which was presented in December 2023. In 2023, a strategy for digital competence and infrastructure in kindergartens and schools was also presented. Furthermore, in September 2024, the Government launched Digital Norway of the Future – National Digitalisation Strategy 2024–2030. One of the five priority areas of the strategy is to maintain trust, strengthen inclusion, and ensure consideration for children and young people. The rights of children and young people shall be taken into account in the design of digital public services. The action plan for a safe digital upbringing was developed by a group comprising directorates and supervisory authorities, led by the Norwegian Media Authority. The action plan was launched in October 2024 and maps the central government’s efforts in the area of safe digital upbringing, describes the challenges and existing measures, and proposes possible measures to address them. The mapping shows that the central government’s efforts are largely aimed at individuals, while the challenges indicate that children and young people need greater protection at the system level to have safe digital upbringing.