Stephane Chaudron

Keynote

AI & Children’s Rights

Challenges and Opportunities for Very Large Online Platforms under the Digital Services Act (art.28)

Stephane Chaudron is an award-winning researcher in children’s digital technologies, focusing on development, safety, and literacy. Over the last decade, she has led significant studies in more than 20 countries. Formerly with the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre, she now advises various organisations, and her innovative work explores AI’s impact on children’s rights. Chaudron has contributed to numerous academic publications and policy reports, as well as speaking at conferences. She has also created educational materials on online safety, including games like Happy Onlife and Cyber Chronix, leveraging her background in Social Geography and Science Pedagogy from UCLouvain and Imperial College.

Abstract:

As Very Large Online Platforms (VLOPS) increasingly rely on AI-driven systems such as recommendation algorithms and content moderation, the impact on children— particularly those from underserved and understudied groups—raises urgent concerns.

This presentation explores the complex interplay between AI technologies and children’s rights, framed within the emerging regulatory landscape of the European Union’s Digital Services Act (DSA) and the AI Act. It emphasizes the critical need for tools like Children’s Rights Impact Assessments (CRIA) to proactively identify and mitigate risks posed by AI to children’s privacy, safety, security and well-being. Drawing on DSA (art.28) Guidelines as publicly available, the talk highlights opportunities for VLOPS to implement child-centered, inclusive AI designs and transparent policies. Attendees will gain insights into how the DSA can serve as a catalyst for protecting and empowering all children online, especially those with diverse abilities and needs, while fostering collaborative approaches to digital innovation and regulation.