Let children have a say in their lives!

We live in a world where children have accounts on social media even before they are born. Without any tutors, they know how to use our mobile phones before they fully learn to talk. In such a world, there is no doubt that digital media has impacts on children, both positive and negative. It also plays an essential role in the communication among the young generation. Therefore, it is critical to ask what rights do they have in such a world based on the United Nations’ (UN) Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC)? How can they effectively participate in these platforms without being abused, bullied or exposed to other risks? The right to be heard and to participate in all matters affecting a child is one of the four principles of the UNCRC. This right emphasises viewing children as human beings with rights, as opposed to the traditional view of them as passive objects. Accordingly, my research about their rights while using the internet can only be done with their own help and involvement. A rights-based approach is the lens I choose to investigate the way children aged 11 to 17 experience involvement in social media.