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In Chile, the responsibility for the digital well-being of children and adolescents has fallen almost exclusively on families and schools. This expectation is unrealistic, as it places a disproportionate burden on those who lack the tools and support to be cybersecurity experts or to anticipate malicious behavior in a rapidly evolving digital environment.
Digital protection must be a shared responsibility. It is time for the State, technology companies, and civil society to assume their leading roles in building a safe and positive digital environment for future generations.
The Call: Join the Commitment for Digital Well-being
In this context, the Commitment for the Digital Well-being of Children and Adolescents is being promoted—an initiative designed to unite diverse organizations under common principles. This agreement recognizes that the protection of children and adolescents in the digital environment is a duty of the State, technology service providers, civil society, families, and the educational community.
The agreement was signed this past Thursday, October 2nd, and now a formal and direct invitation is extended for public and private institutions to actively join. Protecting the digital well-being of children is not a private task, but a public and shared responsibility. Leaving it exclusively in the hands of families and schools is both unfair and ineffective. As Luis Enrique Santana, director of the “Formando Ciudadanía Digital” (Building Digital Citizenship) Program, states: “We believe it is a shared responsibility for everyone and the State, so all organizations are invited and welcome to join this commitment.”
Measurable Goals and Principles of Adherence
The signatories of this Commitment will pledge to advance annually on concrete actions based on six key principles, ensuring the agreement translates into measurable goals and constant monitoring:
As part of the follow-up structure, the UC Center for the Study of Policies and Practices in Education (CEPPE UC) and the “Formando Ciudadanía Digital” Program at Adolfo Ibáñez University (UAI) have assumed the role of monitoring and publicly reporting on the progress achieved.
Process to Formalize the Commitment
The invitation is extended to all organizations that wish to ensure digital services are designed with privacy, data protection, and security by default. Chile can and must move forward in this direction.
To formalize signing the “Commitment for the Digital Well-being of Children and Adolescents,” interested parties must complete the official online form to begin the incorporation process:
Sign here.