In the race to build innovative technology, there’s one user group that is too often forgotten: children. Yet their presence in the digital world is anything but marginal. From learning tools to social platforms, children engage with digital spaces daily, often directly, sometimes indirectly. And when these platforms aren’t built with them in mind, the consequences can be profound.
Children Are Not Just Users. They Are Rights-Holders.
Designing for children requires more than adapting adult tools. It requires recognising their specific rights, vulnerabilities, and developmental needs. Unfortunately, many digital spaces overlook this:
- Interfaces that manipulate attention rather than support learning
- Content that is unfiltered and age-inappropriate
- Data practices that fail to obtain informed consent
- Platforms that exclude children with disabilities or from underserved communities
Safety by Design, Not Afterthought
Digital equity is more than internet access. True inclusion means:
- Designing user journeys that anticipate harm and mitigate it
- Creating child-safe environments from backend to frontend
- Building tools that protect, uplift, and empower
If Your Product Touches Homes, Schools, or Communities, it Touches Children
Even if your primary audience is teachers, parents,caregivers or service providers, children are still part of the ecosystem. That makes you accountable.
Here are three essential questions to ask:
- Could a child interact with this product?
- What unintended harms might emerge from its use?
- Have we conducted a child impact assessment?
These questions should be embedded in your product design lifecycle, not added as a compliance step post-launch.
Principles That Prioritise Protection
Designing with children in mind means rethinking how digital tools are structured. Consider:
- Minimising data collection for under-18 users
- Ensuring interfaces are intuitive and inclusive
- Using trauma-informed design frameworks
- Making opt-ins, reporting, and privacy settings clear and accessible
- Aligning AI recommendations with safety protocols
Tech Shapes Childhood. Let’s Shape It Wisely.
Every decision in digital design from feature prioritisation to UI layout plays a role in shaping a child’s digital experience. Developers, designers, funders, and innovators must understand this power and exercise it with responsibility.
Join Us in Building a Safer Digital Ecosystem
At CcHUB, we embed child protection principles across our innovation programs, startup support, and civic tech engagements. In commemoration of the 2025 Day of the African Child, we renew our commitment to advocating for children’s digital rights across Africa through design, data, and dignity.
Resources to Help You Build Safer Products:
🔹 UNICEF Child Online Protection Guidelines
🔹 5Rights Digital Childhood Framework