Conferences have a strange way of grounding you. You travel thousands of miles, cross continents and time zones, only to find yourself surrounded by people who care about the same questions that shape your research. They remind you that while your research might often feel individual and isolated, it exists within a larger, connected conversation, that crosses disciplines, cultures, and experiences.
For me, those questions revolve around children’s digital rights, particularly how we can protect children online while still respecting their right to participate, express themselves, and be heard. These ideas guided my reflections throughout the 2nd International Conference on Children’s Rights, hosted by the University of Stellenbosch in South Africa. The conference provided an inspiring platform where academics, practitioners, and policymakers came together to rethink what children’s rights mean in a digital world- not just in theory, but in practice.
A Mosaic of Voices
It was fascinating to see how each discipline interpreted these rights differently. Lawyers discussed regulation and privacy, while cybersecurity experts spoke of protection systems and AI safeguards. NGOs focused on advocacy and inclusion, while academics questioned how to make participation more authentic.
What stood out most was that the conference didn’t only focus on giving children a voice, but it also emphasised implementation and empowerment. Across sessions, participants explored how children’s perspectives could be translated into action, policy, and design, and how their voices could influence decision-making processes in concrete ways.
Despite our different approaches, a shared understanding ran through every discussion: protecting children is essential, but so is listening to them. Safety and participation are not competing goals; they are two sides of the same right.
Insights from the Keynotes
The conference featured two powerful keynote sessions. Professor Sameer Hinduja explored the intersections of artificial intelligence and children’s online safety, discussing both the opportunities and challenges that AI presents in supporting young people’s wellbeing. He reflected on how tools such as chatbots can be used by youth. His keynote encouraged a critical reflection on how emerging technologies can be designed to serve, rather than surveil, young people.
Following this, Professor Sonia Livingstone presented on child safety by design, emphasising that digital technologies should be developed with children’s rights and participation at their core. She discussed the role of technology companies and adults in shaping safer, more inclusive online environments, arguing that we can actively help to mould and strengthen children’s voices every day, not only when problems occur. Together, their talks offered a compelling reminder that technology should be shaped with children, not merely for them.
When Children Lead
One of the most compelling parts of the conference was the child-led session, where young people shared their experiences with cyberbullying, online safety, and digital participation. They spoke candidly about their interactions online and what they need from adults, not stricter controls, but understanding, respect, and collaboration.
The child-led session was a demonstration of participation in action. Children were not passive listeners into this conference, but active contributors, asking thoughtful questions, sharing lived experiences, and at times, challenging adult assumptions. Their confident engagement transformed the often theorised concept of children’s participation rights into a lived reality, showing what it truly means for young people to have a voice in spaces that shape their digital lives.
Finding Common Ground
On the final day, I presented my paper, “Pastoral care in digital parenting: Rethinking children’s participation rights and parental digital mediation,” in a session titled Children’s Rights, Digital Parenting, and Changing Family Dynamics. It was one of those panels where ideas flowed naturally. Our presentations overlapped, complementing one another’s perspectives. We discussed the evolving role of parents, parental digital mediation, and how participation rights can be reimagined within these changing dynamics.
What resonated deeply was how similar the challenges are across cultures. Whether in Europe, Africa, or elsewhere, parents and children are negotiating the same questions: how to stay safe, how to stay connected, and how to be heard.
Leaving with Hope
As I left Stellenbosch, I carried home more than research insights. I carried stories of collaboration, of young people’s courage, of professionals across fields striving to understand children’s rights in all their complexity. The conference reminded me that while disciplines, cultures, and languages may differ, the goal remains shared: to build digital environments where children are both protected and empowered; not passive recipients of safety, but active participants in shaping their online worlds. Because in the end, participation is also protection. Listening to children is the surest way to ensure their safety and their freedom in the digital age.
Meghmala Mukherjee
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