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A growing number of children are using the Internet. Many are starting at a young age, using a variety of devices, and spending more time online. This general trend holds true in the Asia-Pacific region, which is home to 60% of the world's youth population, and nation states are being confronted with a tangle of issues triggered by children's increased exposure to cyberspace.

There is no doubt that the Internet brings opportunities for children's education, self-expression and social development, but it is also no secret that the online environment has opened up a new avenue where abuse and exploitation of minors can happen.

The risks that young Internet users may encounter online includes inappropriate, or potentially dangerous and illegal content, such as websites that promote self-harm and hate speech. It may also stem from: (a) their conduct, or the way they use the Internet, such as the content they create or personal information that they intentionally or unwittingly share with others and; (b) their interactions in social media networks or chat rooms that may make them susceptible to online grooming or meeting up with potentially abusive strangers.

In the latter part of 2016, the Internet Society Asia-Pacific Bureau, with Google's support, launched a three-month fellowship programme with South Korean postgraduate student, Jee Eun Choi. The outcome of the programme is a draft report mapping legislation and policies on online child protection in the Asia-Pacific, and the different actors involved in tackling this issue. The study, which will soon be published, selected 15 countries in the region based on the ease of obtaining data and information on initiatives that address online child safety.

In summary, the research found that more and more countries in the Asia-Pacific are working to protect children from online sexual abuse and exploitation, including criminalising the production and distribution of child pornography under domestic law. Notably, high-income economies, which also tend to have high Internet penetration, have gone a step further, developing interventions - legal, technical, social and educational - to minimise children's exposure to harmful content, cyberbullying and Internet addiction. While medium- and low-income economies are starting to move towards this direction, measures can still benefit from greater coordination and coverage to make them more effective. Positively, many initiatives, particularly in the latter category of countries where the public sector is not as well-resourced, are partnerships between government, the private sector and civil society.

Overall, the region has yet to see targeted legislative response to protecting children's privacy online, and keeping them safe from information security risks. Worryingly, a number of existing policies, particularly measures to stamp out child pornography and cyberbullying, have been criticised for overreach and for being inconsistent with fundamental rights such as freedom of expression.

To help address these gaps, the study outlines a number of recommendations: It underlines the importance of a tempered and holistic response to ensuring that children are able to freely, yet safely use the Internet. Economies may start, for instance, by clearly defining terms such as 'child' or 'child pornography' in domestic law, in accordance with international standards, while also putting equal emphasis on empowering children to behave responsibly online and protect themselves against the risks they might face.

Examples cited in the study are proving that existing measures have had more impact when they involve coordination between different sectors, thus there is also a need to step up collaboration among relevant stakeholders. This will not only allow the pooling of resources and expertise, but make initiatives more sustainable. It is also crucial to involve the most important stakeholder in the area of online child protection - children and young people themselves.

More Internet-related news curated by ISOC Asia-Pacific Bureau