Even Pope Francis Thinks Tech Giants Should Be Held Accountable for Child Safety

With the vast array of social media, gaming platforms, apps, and other ways children use the internet, it’s difficult to keep them safe from predators. Opening the door of your home to strangers has never been easier, and the question of who is responsible for child safety online is one that even Pope Francis has an opinion on.

The Vatican Conference

Last Thursday, Pope Francis spoke at the Vatican conference. The topic of “Promoting Digital Child Dignity” brought in major tech companies including Apple, Alphabet, Google, Microsoft, Facebook, and more. The conference was also attended by judicial officials, child protection groups, and law enforcement.

The Pope made it clear who he thinks should be at the forefront of child internet safety: “Companies that provide (internet) services have long considered themselves mere suppliers of technological platforms, neither legally nor morally responsible for the way they are used.”

He went onto say that “There is a need to ensure that investors and managers remain accountable so that the good of minors and society is not sacrificed to profit.”

We recently told you about efforts by the US Attorney General, UK’s Secretary of State, and Australia’s Minister for Home Affairs to sway Mark Zuckerberg’s decision to move Facebook Messaging to end-to-end encryption. The article Is Prevention or Detection Better for Child Safety on Facebook? talks about the different sides of the ongoing debate regarding child safety.

So who is really responsible, and what can you do as a parent?

Child Safety Responsibility

At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter who is responsible if a child gets hurt. The damage is done. As a parent, regardless of who is in charge of safety measures online at some giant tech company, you need to be aware of the dangers and protect your child by ensuring you have your own safety measures and rules in place.

The fight against online predators should start at home, and that is the only thing we have control over as consumers of electronic devices. When you allow your child to use apps, games, social media sites, and the internet there are risks associated. Be sure you have Tools to Protect Your Children From Internet Dangers in place to monitor and control what your child can access.

Grace Wells

Grace Wells grew up in the kind of town where no one locked their doors and parents felt safe letting their kids wander. Things have changed a lot since then. As a mother today, Grace has to worry about so much more than skinned knees and hurt feelings.

Grace believes the best way to keep kids safe is to stay informed. She hopes that her work at Kids Safety 101 makes a difference in children’s lives so that they can grow up as carefree as she did.

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