How can we make the internet better for children?

Australian children love using the internet to play games, talk to friends, learn and be entertained. But have you ever considered what a better internet for kids could look like?

The internet allows us to access videos, television programs, games, apps, social media, messaging services and video chat. We also use it for information and learning.

The internet has made children’s lives better in many ways and it will continue to provide exciting, fun and informative experiences into the future, including through new technologies like virtual reality (such as the metaverse) and generative artificial intelligence (like ChatGPT).

However, there are some problems with the internet.

The internet wasn’t really created with kids in mind

The internet was created by adults for other adults to use. Did you know it was originally created by the United States military for sharing secret information?

Over time, the internet has been used more and more by commercial companies to make money.

Companies have been criticised for how they make money from the internet, especially when this involves children.

Some app producers have been accused of tricking children into making in-app purchases by mistake. In apps like these, kids don’t realise they have made a purchase using real money.

In 2019, YouTube was fined because it was collecting kids’ data so they could allegedly target advertisements to children. Roblox has also been accused of illegally showing advertisements to children.

Another problem with the internet is that anyone can upload a program to a platform like YouTube, and sometimes the information in those videos can be untrue, untrustworthy or harmful.

While we could provide you with more examples of problems with the internet, dwelling on the negatives does little to inspire us to take action on how we can make the internet better for children.

At the ARC Centre of Excellence for the Digital Child, we believe it is possible to create a better “Children’s Internet” and we have developed some principles about how to do this.

1. Provide high quality internet experiences that are free

First of all, we think it’s important that children have access to free and high-quality internet experiences.

It’s important that high quality internet experiences are free because not everyone can afford to pay for them.

In Australia, we’re lucky that we have the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, which is owned by the Australian people rather than a private company.

We are calling for the ABC and other media companies to continue to make great internet experiences for kids.

2. Create good-quality educational products for children

Have you ever had a poor learning experience at school because the digital resource you were asked to use was poorly made or not very “educational”? If so, you are not alone.

Thousands of educational apps are available on the major app stores, but there is little information about if they have been assessed for quality by education experts or how teachers select the most effective apps to use in their classrooms.

Also, app developers don’t need to show much evidence as to how their products enhance learning or if their products will collect children’s data, therefore breaching their privacy.

The Children’s Internet would be better if there were guidelines for the use of internet products in schools.

3. Provide children with more guidance about age-appropriate internet experiences

You probably know that most social media companies say that young people can have an account when they turn 13, but this does not provide very good advice about what kinds of social media children should access at different ages.

We know that children under 13 access the internet and the types of online experiences that an 11-year-old needs are different to that of a 14-year-old.

Some internet content — like television programs — have an age rating like G, PG and M. But most internet experiences do not have these ratings.

4. Develop products for children more carefully

We are also calling for technology companies to more carefully develop products for children.

Technology companies like to create products quickly and then fix problems “on the go”, once people start using them.

Facebook’s founder Mark Zuckerberg called this the “move fast and break things” approach. He meant that it is good to try things out and not get too worried if things break, believing this is a good way to make new technologies.

The problem is that poor product design can have a big impact on children.

A better Children’s Internet would mean the design of digital products and services that children use would be more considered and slower to release.

5. Improve parental controls

Parents and carers have to do too much work to keep children safe online.

The problem is most parental controls are confusing to use, and parents often have to manage many at once.

Imagine a child who has access to an iPad, Roblox, Minecraft, a Nintendo Switch and a Meta Quest VR headset. That’s a lot of parental controls for parents to be dealing with!

We believe technology companies should more carefully build safety features into products for children.

What’s the next step?

You can read more about these principles in our Manifesto for a better Children’s Internet, as these are just some of the ways we believe a better Children’s Internet can be made possible.

But realising this potential requires industry, governments, community leaders, decision-makers, educators, researchers, advocates, parents and families to strive for it.

Michael Dezuanni and Aleesha Rodriguez are researchers at the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for the Digital Child. Michael is Professor of Digital media and Learning, and he undertakes research about the use of technology in schools, community settings and family homes. Aleesha is a research fellow and “tech-sociologist” who explores the ways in which people and technology shape each other.