How psychological theory and evidence informs emerging international policy on child online safety and child rights: a challenging agenda

Livingstone, Sonia, London School of Economics and Political Science (s.livingstone@lse.ac.uk)

1There is by now a long and rich tradition of research on the psychology of children’s engagement with media of all kinds, from cinema to the metaverse, and this provides many insights that could inform policy and practice. But does this research, in fact, reach and inform the national and international organisations with the power to realise children’s rights in a digital age? Over past decades, I have been working with lawyers, child rights advocates, regulators and technologists to advance, first, children’s online safety and, more recently, children’s rights in relation to the digital environment. In this lecture I will reflect on some of the disciplinary, practical and political challenges that impede the optimal design and use of psychological research to benefit children’s digital lives, as well as observing some of the success stories.