The first panel of the day brought in evidence from the region – the Philippines, Cambodia, Nepal, Kenya, and Australia – painting a clearer and more nuanced picture of how children and caregivers navigate their online lives.

Children have their own protective strategies that they employ in digital spaces. Many run quick “background checks” on new contacts, look for mutual friends, or test for consistency in conversation. They weigh benefits and harms almost instinctively—moment-to-moment calculations that adults often underestimate. And yet, the formal act of reporting remains challenging. Many children fear the process isn’t confidential or doubt that it leads to meaningful change. Others simply find that it breaks the natural rhythm of their digital experience – hinting at solutions by building reporting or help seeking tools into the regular flow of platform experiences.

The discussion turned from children to caregivers: the research from ChildSafeNet found that parents often know about screen-time limits but rarely about the “three Cs” of online safety: contact, content, and conduct. But the barrier isn’t just knowledge, but also dynamics. For instance, in many households represented in the research in Nepal, fathers possess stronger digital skills but tend to be more emotionally distant from day-to-day parenting. Mothers, meanwhile, often maintain closer emotional bonds but lack the same technical confidence.

Participants reflected on how parenting education could bridge that divide: combining digital literacy with emotional literacy, and helping caregivers recognise that protecting children online means being both technically capable and emotionally available.