A/HRC/RES/56/6 Recognizing also the need to foster a policy of zero tolerance of all forms of violence against children, in particular girls, in the digital environment, in a manner consistent with States’ obligations under international human rights law, Expressing concern that many developing countries still face serious challenges in building their national science, technology and innovation base, in terms of the availability, affordability and use of information and communications technology, related to monitoring and implementing legal provisions at the national level for the safety of the child, and that, for persons living in poverty, the promise of science, technology and innovation remains unfulfilled, Acknowledging that, while the digital environment offers new opportunities for the realization of the rights of the child, it also poses risks of the violation or abuse of those rights, Expressing concern that the potential risks posed by the digital environment can entail different forms of violence and harm, including cyberbullying and harassment, the promotion of suicide and self-harm, discrimination, racism, xenophobia, the advocacy of national, racial or religious hatred, recruitment into criminal, armed or terrorist groups, trafficking in persons, smuggling, economic exploitation, the marketing of harmful or inappropriate goods and services, such as weapons, drugs or gambling, fraud, identity theft, exposure to addictive and harmful algorithms and design mechanisms, data harvesting and misinformation, Expressing concern also that the rapid expansion of the Internet globally, with its increasing and instant reach to individuals, has exposed more children to the risk of sexual abuse and to new forms of sexual exploitation, including the proliferation of child pornography, child prostitution, inappropriate contact with children and grooming by unknown adults, the distribution of self-generated content, including “sexting”, sexual coercion and sexual extortion, the production and use of deep fakes generated by artificial intelligence and the broadcasting of videos of the sexual abuse of children, including through live streaming, Underscoring the need to conduct dialogues with a full range of private sector representatives in the different geographical regions, including small and medium-sized companies, national human rights institutions, non-governmental organizations, Indigenous Peoples and educational institutions, Recalling that, in accordance with their obligations under article 12 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, States parties should assure to the child who is capable of forming his or her own views the right to express his or her views freely in all matters affecting the child, including those involving the development of policies and practices related to information and communications technology and to the protection from all forms of violence and harm, including child sexual exploitation and abuse, when designing prevention tools and in relation to children’s service needs, in accordance with the age and maturity of the child and in a manner consistent with the procedural rules of national law when heard in any judicial and administrative proceedings, Acknowledging the importance of reviewing, enacting, updating and effectively implementing legislation to protect, promote and ensure the enjoyment of the rights of the child, both offline and online, as well as the importance of making it a criminal offence to, inter alia, procure, access, possess, control, produce, offer, sell, distribute, transmit, broadcast, display, publish or make available any sexual content depicting or featuring children for sexual purposes, Recognizing that the responsibility to respect the rights of the child extends to private actors and businesses, which should pay particular attention to the accessible design and operation of the digital environment and the safeguarding of the child’s safety, protection and privacy from arbitrary or unlawful interference, including but not limited to products and services specifically designed for children or directed towards them, as well as those that are not targeted at children but which may still be used by them, Expressing its concern over the challenges surrounding the provision of the child’s privacy arising from arbitrary or unlawful interference, including with regard to consent to the collection, processing and storage of data or to the reuse, sale or multiple resale of the 2