Topic: 2025 – Protecting and Empowering Youth in Digital Spaces
Country: Denmark
Delegate Name: Jayden Shepski
The Kingdom of Denmark recognizes that the rapid expansion of digital spaces has reshaped how youth learn, communicate, and participate in society. While digital environments offer unprecedented opportunities, they also expose children and young people to harmful content, manipulation, privacy violations, and risks of sexual exploitation and abuse. Denmark affirms that the protection and empowerment of youth in digital spaces must be grounded in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC)—the primary existing framework defining the rights of individuals under 18—and guided by the UN Human Rights Council’s continuing efforts. Denmark believes that safeguarding youth online is not only a matter of security but also one of human rights, equality of access, and digital empowerment. Our stance prioritizes building resilient digital citizens capable of navigating online environments responsibly and safely.Denmark maintains that effective policy must strike a deliberate balance: Over-regulation risks restricting youth engagement, digital literacy development, and freedom of expression. Under-regulation leaves young people vulnerable to misinformation, cyber-bullying, data misuse, and exploitation. To address this, Denmark champions a rights-based, multi-stakeholder model involving governments, technology companies, civil society, educators, and youth themselves.
Key existing frameworks Denmark supports include: The UN CRC, emphasizing privacy, freedom of expression, and protection from harm. The General Comment No. 25 on children’s rights in the digital environment. ITU and UNICEF initiatives providing tools on safe digital engagement. Denmark advocates for transparent platform accountability, safe-by-design standards, age-appropriate data protections, and stronger international cooperation against online child abuse networks.Denmark views empowerment as equal in importance to protection. With 79% of youth aged 15–24 online, lack of formal digital education remains a critical barrier. Digital literacy must include: Navigating misinformation and disinformation Understanding algorithms and data privacy Critical thinking and online civic participation Recognizing and reporting abusive behavior Denmark is committed to expanding digital citizenship curricula, building on our national “Technology Understanding” initiatives that teach students how digital systems work and how to use them safely and ethically. Denmark further supports efforts to amplify youth voices through online civic platforms, ensuring their perspectives help shape national and international digital policy. Denmark proposes the following actions for the Human Rights Council:
1. Promote Safe-by-Design Technology by encouraging states to incentivize or regulate tech companies to implement stronger child-protection architecture, transparent algorithms, and privacy-forward design.
2. Expand Digital Education Programs such as ITU’s resources and UNESCO digital literacy tools, with funding for teacher training and equitable access in developing states.
3. Strengthen Cross-Border Protection Measures including cooperation on prosecuting online exploitation, sharing best practices, and supporting capacity-building for law enforcement in less-resourced states.
4. Elevate Youth Participation by creating structured mechanisms for youth consultation in digital policy discussions within the UN system, ensuring their voices guide future solutions. Denmark affirms its commitment to a global digital environment where youth can explore, learn, organize, and express themselves safely and meaningfully. Protecting and empowering youth in digital spaces requires not only defending them from harm, but also equipping them with the education, rights protections, and opportunities to shape the digital world they will inherit. Denmark stands ready to collaborate with all member states to achieve a future where digital spaces uphold dignity, safety, and human rights for every young person.
