A/69/264 80. There is still much to learn about how the youngest children engage with the digital universe but, according to available research, the frequent use of touchscreen devices in kindergarten is associated with vocabulary development and academic achievement. Digital literacy skills lead to stronger creativity, self -expression and improved interpersonal relations, and provide a foundation for the responsible use of technologies. 81. Older children are equally active, using ICTs to prepare schoolwork, search for information, socialize with friends, play games, watch the news and video clips online, and to communicate, including through e-mail and instant messaging. 82. Differently from previous generations, today’s children tend to shift easily between “real” and “virtual” worlds and regard the online/offline distinction as ever less relevant. At the same time, ICTs are contributing to the deconstruction of traditional boundaries of privacy, creating situations in which children engage in “chat” or “conversation” in apparently private settings while in fact potentially exposing themselves to a wide and unknown audience. Sharing personal information, and failing to identify online dangers or warning signals that can serve to protect children in the physical world — including physical and behavioural cues, and the appraisal of friends, parents or caregivers which are largely ab sent online — may lead to multiple risks to children’s protection. The consequences of online and offline abuse can be devastating and they are also similar. In both cases they lead to depression, fear, eating and sleeping disorders, aggression, anxiety, l ow self-esteem, and a sense of shame and guilt. Child rights online 83. The Convention on the Rights of the Child and its Optional Protocols, notably the Protocol on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography provide important guidance for the realization of children’s rights online. All measures, including legislative, policy and educational initiatives, should be guided by the best interests of the child; respect and support children’s growing autonomy and agency, and protect children from violence and discrimination. These principles lay the foundation to capitalize on the potential of the online environment; to promote children’s learning and freedom of expression; to support children in accessing, receiving and imparting information; and to protect them from harmful materials and information, from unlawful interference with their privacy or correspondence, and situations where their honour and reputation may be at risk. 84. Framed by these standards, children can also capitalize o n the potential of ICTs to access information on the promotion of their rights, and seek support and redress when exposed to violence, abuse and exploitation. 85. Protection from discrimination is a fundamental principle that gains special relevance in the online world. Indeed, it is crucial that all children, including the most marginalized, enjoy the same degree of access to the Internet and benefit from the protection they all require. This is particularly important as the Internet has opened up a digital divide among children, those who have ready and convenient access to the Internet at home, school and elsewhere, and those who do not; those who regularly benefit from guidance and advice from their parents or schools, and those who explore cyberspace on their own and lack any support; and those who are confident and proficient users of the Internet and those who are not. 16/23 14-58801