UNICEF Mexico urges child‑focused digital policies amid online safety concerns

UNICEF Mexico’s National Child Protection Officer, José Antonio Ruiz Hernández, said digital wellbeing for children must be built by listening to girls, boys and adolescents. He highlighted that 2.9 million Mexican teenagers reported cyber‑bullying in the past year, with over 500 000 experiencing sexual proposals or exposure to sexual content, nearly 100 000 victims of non‑consensual sharing of intimate material and 300 cases of sexual extortion. Ruiz Hernández warned that measures such as the United Kingdom’s ban on social‑media use for under‑16s lack solid evidence and that prohibition alone does not protect minors. Experts called for a social pact involving families, schools, authorities, academia and the private sector, and for “digital first‑aid” training to create safer, inclusive online spaces.

Philosopher Sayak Valencia warned that digital platforms amplify regressive, anti‑rights discourse targeting youth. She argued that bans are insufficient and advocated for strengthened digital literacy programmes in schools to develop critical thinking and counter “regressive sensitivity”. Both speakers emphasized participatory policy design and education over prohibition as the path to safer digital environments for children and young people.