Principle 4:age appropriate

Age-appropriate products and services depend on children’s developmental milestones and life circumstances. Innovators and policy makers must consider the role of parents and caregivers, states and businesses in realising children’s rights to provision, participation and protection in accordance with the child’s evolving capacities and the gradual acquisition of autonomy. This principle draws together three central issues in children’s rights:1 • The concept of the child’s evolving capacities recognises the gradual process through which children acquire greater competencies and understanding, along with the necessary transfer of responsibility for decision making from the parents or caregivers to the child. • The obligations of the state include providing support and guidance to parents and caregivers so that they can protect their child’s rights. In a digital world, parental responsibilities include mediating the use and impact of technologies, and the state – and businesses – play a key role in supporting this. • When considering the use of age-assurance or age-gating mechanisms, policy makers and product developers must ensure these do not have adverse unintended uses and protect children’s privacy and other rights.