IGF 2026 WS #64 Children in the Governance of Our Shared Digital Future

Description

Children appear constantly in the language of digital policy as statistics in child online safety reports, as case studies in AI ethics frameworks, as the justification cited in nearly every regulation written in their name. They are counted, cited and referenced more than almost any other group in internet governance discourse. Yet in the rooms where those policies are actually shaped and negotiated, children themselves are rarely present.

This session, organized by Mtoto News International, a Kenya-based child-focused media and policy organization, brings this pattern directly into the room. Kenya's First Lady and Tech Envoy Philip Thigo both directly engaged in shaping the country's approach to child protection and digital governance will sit alongside a child and a civil society stakeholder for a genuine, unscripted conversation, moderated by Mtoto News International's CEO.

The session is built around real listening: national leaders responding directly and publicly to a child's firsthand account of their digital life, framed explicitly as representative of a much broader, global pattern among children everywhere. The session closes with a concrete, spoken commitment from Kenya's leadership on what genuine inclusion of children in digital governance will look like going forward.

Responding directly to IGF 2026's theme, "Governing the Internet in the Age of Intelligence: Our Shared Responsibility," this session asks what "shared" truly requires: not simply better data about children, but their structural inclusion in the rooms where their shared digital future is decided.

Policy Question(s)

A. What structural mechanisms beyond consultation or citation can ensure children are genuinely included in national and global digital governance processes? B. How can national leaders translate stated commitments to children's digital wellbeing into concrete, accountable governance practice? C. What can governments and technical communities learn from centering children's lived experience, rather than aggregated data, in shaping AI and internet governance frameworks?

Expected Outcomes

The session aims to produce a public, quotable commitment from Kenya's national leadership on embedding children's participation into digital governance processes going forward, offering a replicable model for other IGF host countries and governments. Participants will gain a clearer understanding of what structural, rather than symbolic, inclusion of children in governance requires in practice. The session will contribute a short published reflection to IGF's Policy Network on AI and child rights and is expected to generate wider media coverage extending its central message: that children are represented everywhere in data, but rarely present at the table where decisions are made. Participants will leave with concrete examples of dialogue-based, non-tokenistic approaches to child participation that they can adapt within their own national or institutional contexts

Reference Document

Format

Roundtable Duration (minutes): 90 Format description: A roundtable layout supports the session's core purpose: genuine, unscripted dialogue rather than sequential presentation. Given the high-profile nature of the speakers (Kenya's First Lady and Tech Envoy), a roundtable signals equality of voice in the room, placing the child and stakeholder speaker on visually and structurally equal footing with national leadership reinforcing the session's central message. Ninety minutes allows adequate time for brief opening framing from each speaker, a substantive, unhurried account from the child and critically enough space for real, responsive dialogue between the child, stakeholders and leaders, rather than rushing toward a symbolic exchange. This duration also accommodates meaningful audience engagement from both onsite and online participants in the session's closing segment.

Hybrid Format

Hybrid Format: The onsite and online moderators will coordinate continuously throughout to keep both audiences integrated into a single conversation rather than two parallel ones. Online participants will submit questions and reflections via the IGF virtual platform chat, with the online moderator surfacing selected questions at natural pauses particularly during the direct dialogue segment between the child, stakeholder and leader so remote voices shape the exchange in real time rather than only via a closing Q&A. A live shared document will capture key reflections and commitments as they are spoken, visible to onsite and online participants alike, culminating in a short public summary of commitments made. The closing segment, where Kenya's leadership responds to what has been shared, will be clearly signposted for online audiences to ensure they do not miss this central moment of the session.

Organizers

Organizer 1: Joseph Atulo, Mtoto News International

Speakers

Speaker 1: Philip Thigo Thigo, Government, African Group Speaker 2: Blessed Barrack Barrack, Civil Society, African Group Speaker 3: Ndegwa Mercy, Private Sector, African Group Speaker 4: Jennifer Kaberi Kaberi, Civil Society, African Group

Moderator

Joseph Atulo, Civil Society, African Group

Online Moderator

Dennis Mwendwa, Civil Society, African Group

Rapporteur

Gareth Sande, Intergovernmental Organization, African Group

Participant Benefits

What will participants gain from attending this session?

SDGs

No Poverty
Reduced Inequalities
Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions 16.2

5.7 KiB Raw Blame History