Scientific Panel on Child Protection and Social Media

The Problem

Child exploitation has emerged as a profound challenge in contemporary society, exacerbated by the rapid proliferation of social media platforms. These platforms, while serving as powerful tools for communication and connectivity, have also become avenues for perpetrators to exploit vulnerable individuals, particularly children. The complexities of these issues demand a comprehensive, multidisciplinary approach to understanding and combatting them effectively.

The IPIE's Approach

The IPIE’s Panel on Child Protection and Social Media will investigate the ways that information infrastructure, in particular social media platforms, support the global economy of child exploitation, and then make recommendations for public policy oversight and technology design that can diminish and disassemble the information infrastructure used for this purpose.

During its 12-month schedule, the panel aims to:

• Identify the mechanisms through which social media and related digital tools are utilized for child exploitation.
• Analyze the socio-economic, cultural, and technological factors contributing to the prevalence of this phenomena.
• Identify organizations and groups actively involved in researching and preventing CSE and CSAM.
• Assess the effectiveness of existing strategies and interventions in combating child exploitation over social media.
• Propose evidence-based recommendations for policymakers, law enforcement agencies, social media companies, and civil society organizations to mitigate the risks and address the underlying causes.