A/HRC/52/61 59. When online, children may be exposed to harmful goods, such as weapons or drugs, or harmful services, such as gambling. Threats to children’s privacy online may also stem from data collection and data processing conducted by public institutions, businesses and other organizations, as well as from such criminal activities as identify theft. In a European survey of 19 countries, it was found that 11 per cent of 9- to 16-year-olds had experienced misuse of their personal information or password or theft of their digital identity. 60. In a rapid review published in 2021, the evidence was set out for what is currently known about the violence and harm experienced by children online and how best to advance research in the field.30 It was found that children who are vulnerable offline are more likely to be vulnerable online, while offline protective factors can reduce exposure to online risks. While some children are more vulnerable than others, this vulnerability varies based on the type of online risk. For example, older teenagers; lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer+ children; and those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds are more likely to engage in “sexting” behaviour and to be victims of “sextortion”. Girls are more likely to be victims of online sexual solicitation coercive sexting and cyberdating violence. Moreover, children who experience one kind of online risk are more likely to experience other forms of risk. For example, cyberbullying victimization and perpetration are associated with children’s greater exposure to negative online content and cyberdating violence. Online sexual solicitation is associated with exposure to online pornography, posting of personal information or pictures online, having contact with unknown people on social media, sexting and video chatting with strangers. 61. More robust, high-quality and comparable research is needed overall, with greater representation of the diversity of children’s circumstances and greater understanding of children’s digital ecology.31 At present, most research examines the experiences of older children and those from the global North. Evidence for pre-teens and the global South is sparse. There is a need for child-centred research methods to complement recent evidence, as understanding of how children see these issues is still insufficient. More evidence is needed on the types of risk that lead to harm, the groups of children that are more vulnerable and the long-term effects on children’s development and well-being. B. A wide range of actions, but still not enough 62. An extensive range of international and regional instruments guide and support action to combat violence against children online.32 The Committee on the Rights of the Child, in its general comment on children’s rights in relation to the digital environment, has elaborated on the framework within which States parties to the Convention can address the protection of children’s rights online, including freedom from all forms of violence. 33 63. The Committee has outlined key elements of a comprehensive response, including aligning national legislation with international human rights standards; integrating children’s online protection within national child protection policies; ensuring appropriate awarenessraising and training initiatives; ensuring that businesses meet their responsibilities to respect children’s rights and prevent and remedy abuse of their rights; ensuring the investigation of online crimes against children, support for victims and access to justice; and ensuring that the mandates of national human rights institutions and other appropriate independent institutions cover children’s rights in the digital environment. 64. There has been a strong mobilization at the global level to tackle violence against children online. An international call to stand up for children’s rights in the digital environment was adopted at the 2021 Paris Peace Forum, followed by the launch of a 30 31 32 33 GE.22-29128 Stoilova, Livingstone and Khazbak, “Investigating risks and opportunities for children in a digital world”. Ibid. UNICEF, Legislating for the Digital Age: Global Guide on Improving Legislative Frameworks to Protect Children from Online Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (New York, 2022). Committee on the Rights of the Child, general comment No. 25 (2021). 13