Source: Child Rights Connect, 2026
A new international coalition launched in Geneva at the beginning of July is setting out to ensure that children’s safety and rights are not an afterthought as artificial intelligence reshapes how they learn, play and grow up.
The Coalition for Children’s Rights and Protection in the Age of Artificial Intelligence brings together governments, UN agencies, technology companies, civil society groups, educators and child welfare experts, all working from the same starting point: the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the most widely ratified human rights treaty in the world.
The coalition was launched during the event where the findings of the “Me & AI: Children and Young People’s Report” were presented. The report provides important background and evidence for the discussions that shaped the event, bringing together the voices of more than 1,100 children from 49 countries who shared their experiences, concerns and recommendations through a global consultation organised to inform the United Nations Global Dialogue on AI Governance. The report highlights children’s priorities for a future where AI is safe, transparent, rights-respecting and designed with children, not just for them.
The launch of the coalition follows the UN Secretary-General’s call for an AI Child Safety Pledge, made in his opening remarks to the UN Global Dialogue on AI Governance. Coalition members say they will share evidence and good practice, and work to ensure that children’s views genuinely inform decisions about systems that affect their lives – rather than being treated as a footnote once those systems already exist.
The “Me & AI” consultation and report were jointly coordinated by United Nations Human Rights, Child and Youth Friendly Governance Project, 5Rights Foundation, Child Rights Connect, Digital Futures for Children Centre (DFC), UN SRSG on Violence Against Children, Save the Children International, Instituto Alana, Plan International, and Aldeas Infantiles SOS de España.
More information about the coalition launch can be found here:
https://news.un.org/en/story/2026/07/1167891
The “Me & AI: Children and Young People’s Report” is available here:
https://5rightsfoundation.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Me-AI-report.pdf