Protecting Children Without Tracking Them: Why Privacy-First Safety Is Emerging as the Alternative to Online Surveillance
As governments around the world rush to strengthen online protections for children, a growing global debate is unfolding: does keeping children safe online require tracking who they are—or understanding what harms them?From the United States and Australia to India and Europe, lawmakers are proposing new online safety regulations aimed at curbing grooming, abuse, and exposure to harmful content on social media, games, and digital platforms. While the intent is widely supported, many of the proposed solutions—especially mandatory age-verification and identity authentication—are raising serious concerns about privacy, data security, and unintended long-term risks for children.The scale of the challenge is undeniable. UNICEF estimates that nearly one in three internet users globally is under t...










