1.   Europe’s children want to learn about all things digital, but need more guidance, support and education if they are to manage their digital environment as well-rounded citizens now and in the future. This is not only of practical concern but also a matter of realising their human rights.

2.   Digital skills and literacy represent both a valued outcome and also the means to the further, even more important, outcome of realising a wide range of children’s rights. We observed that digital skills and literacies make a difference to most, if not all, of children’s rights in the digital age.

3.   Encouraging children to learn for themselves can be powerful. Stakeholders should be supportive of children’s own interests, agency and participation, as it might prove more beneficial in the long run than adult guidance, judgement or restriction, however well intentioned.

4.   Children’s rights are in many ways contingent, contextual and interdependent. Any lack, or inequality, in children’s digital skills impedes the full realisation of their rights. Gaining the multiple dimensions of digital skills enables children’s realisation of their rights individually and holistically– encompassing their provision, protection and participation rights.

5.   To overcome digital inequalities, supporting children’s online activities, especially social and creative activities with digitally skilled peers, could build their self-efficacy and, thereby, the digital literacy they need. To this end, highly targeted rather than generic (‘open door’) efforts are required to counter inequalities.

6.   Not all child rights principles are equally represented in research and policy and regulation. The lack of ySKILLS evidence related to the principle of responsibility highlights the difficulty of demonstrating responsible digital governance and innovation related to the promotion of youth digital literacy and the need for a Child Rights Impact Assessment (CRIA).

7.   Educators should be supported to develop the capacity to both teach the skills and administer digital tests, so they can assist in assessing and improving student performance.

8.   It is insufficient to redress wrongs after the fact when it is feasible to anticipate the opportunities for and risks to children’s rights in the policies, provision and design of the digital environment. Hence, we propose a ‘by design’ approach – to child rights broadly, and digital literacy in particular.

9.   Enabling children’s digital skills and literacy and overcoming the barriers they face is not only a priority but also an obligation for governments. Educational and policy initiatives ought to be based on accurate reports of a child’s digital skills and literacy.

10. There are clearly a host of structural factors that enable and impede children’s digital literacy and the opportunities to exercise it, and these must remain high on national and European stakeholders’ agendas, in order to realise children’s rights in a digital world.

ySKILLS is an EC-funded research network aiming to identify the actors and factors that undermine or promote the wellbeing of children aged 12–17 in a digital age. 

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