The warning comes as age-based social media restrictions multiply globally.

Following Australia’s decision to block children under 16 from platforms in December 2025, countries like Indonesia and Malaysia have followed suit, with over a dozen other nations considering similar laws.

However, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk cautioned that these bans are easily bypassed and risk pushing children into darker, unmonitored digital spaces.

“Simply limiting access to platforms that remain unsafe cannot stand as the endpoint,” Türk said.

The newly released UN guidelines, titled Getting Children's Safety Online Right, argue that the digital threats youth face are not accidental, but are instead the direct result of corporate profit strategies.

“Online harms to kids' safety, privacy and wellbeing result from design choices and business practices that undermine safety, including addictive design features such as infinite scroll, autoplay, and persistent notifications,” Türk stated.

Speaking to reporters in Geneva, Peggy Hicks, the OHCHR Director of Thematic Engagement and Special Procedures, delivered a strict ultimatum to the tech industry.

“Change how their platforms are designed and operated to better protect children's rights and safety – or be forced to do so through increasingly restrictive legislation and regulatory fines,” Hicks said.

Rather than forcing parents and children to police online risks on their own, the UN guidelines state that safety must be built directly into platform architecture from the very beginning.

To achieve these safety standards, the UN guidelines recommend implementing mandatory child rights impact assessments for all digital products and establishing tightly regulated age verification systems that strictly protect user privacy.

The global framework also calls for governments to directly consult with children when designing new digital regulations.

Hicks noted that the rapid growth of artificial intelligence and automated chatbots requires urgent, flexible action from lawmakers worldwide.

“We need to collect the evidence and adapt quickly to what we learn,” she said.