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Commission shows digital dangers for kids

Half the world uses the internet including 1.15 billion children who can benefit from it only if they can safely navigate it, an international commission said.

A student-run college club helps home-schooled kids on computers
A student-run college club helps home-schooled kids on computers (AN/College of DuPage)

UNITED NATIONS (AN) — Half the world's 7.7 billion population uses the internet, including 1.15 billion children who can learn and benefit from it but only if they can safely navigate "a dangerous environment in which to grow up," an international commission said on Tuesday.

With children younger than the age of 18 accounting for more than 30% of all internet users globally, better safeguards are needed to protect them from sexual abuse, recruitment by extremist groups, online harassment and bullying and other threats, the Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development said in its 82-page Child Online Safety Report 2019.

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