Peer-reviewed article
Online Safety for Children and Youth under the 4Cs Framework—A Focus on Digital Policies in Australia, Canada, and the UK
Yujin Jang, Bomin Ko ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-sonnet-5-5This study reviews earlier research on children's online safety using the 4Cs risk framework (contact, content, conduct and contract risks). It then compares the institutions, governance and government-led programmes of Australia, Canada and the UK. The authors say research in Childhood Education Studies on this topic is limited in quantity and quality. They recommend regulating online exposure for children under 13, coordinated action across international, national, school and family levels, and a dedicated national agency for children's online safety.
Key points
- Previous literature is analysed under the 4Cs risk framework: contact, content, conduct and contract risks.
- Australia, Canada and the UK are compared on institutions, governance and government-led programmes.
- Relevant research in Childhood Education Studies is insufficient in quantity and quality.
- A regulatory approach to online exposure of children under 13 should be maintained.
- Each country should set up a special agency for children's online safety that includes educators and digital firms, and parents and teachers should work together on digital literacy education.
Limitations
The abstract does not describe the methods, the sources reviewed or any measured outcomes for children, so it cannot show whether the policies compared actually reduce online risks. The recommendations are the authors' conclusions and are not tested here.
Abstract
This study analyzes the previous literature on the online safety of children and youth under “the 4Cs risk framework” concerning contact, content, conduct, and contract risks. It then conducts a comparative study of Australia, Canada, and the UK, comparing their institutions, governance, and government-led programs. Relevant research in Childhood Education Studies is insufficient both in quantity and quality. To minimize the four major online risks for children and youth in cyberspace, it is necessary to maintain a regulatory approach to the online exposure of children under the age of 13. Moreover, the global society should respond together to these online risks with “multi-level” policymaking under a “multi-stakeholder approach”. At the international level, multilateral discussion within the OECD and under UN subsidiaries should continue to lead international cooperation. At the domestic level, a special agency in charge of online safety for children and youth should be established in each country, encompassing all relevant stakeholders, including educators and digital firms. At the school and family levels, both parents and teachers need to work together in facilitating digital literacy education, providing proper guidelines for the online activities of children and youth, and helping them to become more satisfied and productive users in the digital era.