BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:unctad.org BEGIN:VEVENT UID:6a4d9d836526a DTSTART:20250515T120000Z SEQUENCE:0 TRANSP:OPAQUE DTEND:20250515T133000Z LOCATION:Online\, SUMMARY:Webinar on protecting children against pressuring techniques in dig ital media CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Children today are immersed in digital environments — whether gaming\, browsing social media\, or connecting with peers online. While t hese platforms offer entertainment and socialization\, they are also immer sed in commercial content designed to influence behavior and drive purchas es.Increasingly\, children are exposed to aggressive and manipulative mark eting practices that take advantage of their developmental vulnerabilities and limited digital literacy.In games\, virtual currencies obscure real-w orld costs\, making purchases of skins\, passes\, and upgrades deceptively frictionless. On social media\, influencers build trusted relationships w ith young followers to subtly promote products in ways that blur the line between entertainment and advertisement. Even peer interactions amplify co nsumer pressure\, pushing children to conform by buying the latest digital goods.The complexity and sophistication of these techniques raise serious concerns for consumer protection authorities worldwide. With the rise of embedded advertising\, deceptive design\, and algorithm-driven personaliza tion\, the traditional regulatory tools often fall short. There is growing recognition that protecting children in digital markets requires interdis ciplinary collaboration\, research-based enforcement\, and international c ooperation.ObjectiveThis webinar\, convened by UNCTAD’s Informal Working Group on Consumer Protection in E-Commerce\, aims to explore how digital marketing environments are shaping children'\;s experiences and decisi ons — and how regulators can respond. It will bring together leading res earchers\, consumer protection authorities\, and policy experts to:Examine current digital marketing practices targeting children.Highlight research on children’s advertising literacy and online vulnerability.Share effec tive regulatory and enforcement strategies.Present national and regional t ools protecting children from targeted marketing practices.Promote cross-b order cooperation and knowledge exchange.Key focus areas:Understanding chi ldren’s digital vulnerability: children often fail to recognize advertis ing disguised as entertainment or peer content\, leaving them open to infl uence and exploitation.Research and evidence-based policymaking: incorpora ting academic research\, especially on children’s advertising literacy\, enhances enforcement strategies and informs better regulatory frameworks. International good practices: case studies from the European Union\, Swede n and Mexico show how enforcement bodies are adapting to protect young use rs\, including through fines\, guidelines for influencers\, and disclosure mandates.Call to action: strengthening protection for children in digital markets demands joint efforts across sectors: governments\, researchers\, educators\, businesses\, and international organizations.Why attendPartic ipants will gain practical insights into current risks\, regulatory respon ses\, and future directions in protecting children from undue digital pres sure. This webinar is essential for policymakers\, regulators\, educators\ , academics\, and all stakeholders concerned with the impact of technologi es on children as digital consumers.UNCTAD’s Informal Working Group on C onsumer Protection in E-CommerceThis group was created by UNCTAD’s Inter governmental group of experts on consumer protection law and policy. It me ets regularly and informally through teleconferences and is open to Govern ment representatives\, with relevant expertise (for example national consu mer protection authorities)\; interested international organizations and n etworks\; and relevant stakeholders from civil society and academia.<\;p >\;Children today are immersed in digital environments — whether gamin g\, browsing social media\, or connecting with peers online. While these p latforms offer entertainment and socialization\, they are also immersed in commercial content designed to influence behavior and drive purchases.< \;/p>\;<\;p>\;Increasingly\, children are exposed to aggressive and manipulative marketing practices that take advantage of their developmenta l vulnerabilities and limited digital literacy.<\;/p>\;<\;p>\;In g ames\, virtual currencies obscure real-world costs\, making purchases of s kins\, passes\, and upgrades deceptively frictionless. On social media\, i nfluencers build trusted relationships with young followers to subtly prom ote products in ways that blur the line between entertainment and advertis ement. Even peer interactions amplify consumer pressure\, pushing children to conform by buying the latest digital goods.<\;/p>\;<\;p>\;The complexity and sophistication of these techniques raise serious concerns f or consumer protection authorities worldwide. With the rise of embedded ad vertising\, deceptive design\, and algorithm-driven personalization\, the traditional regulatory tools often fall short. There is growing recognitio n that protecting children in digital markets requires interdisciplinary c ollaboration\, research-based enforcement\, and international cooperation. <\;/p>\;<\;h4>\;<\;strong>\;Objective<\;/strong>\;<\;/h4 >\;<\;p>\;This webinar\, convened by UNCTAD’s Informal Working Gro up on Consumer Protection in E-Commerce\, aims to explore how digital mark eting environments are shaping children'\;s experiences and decisions — and how regulators can respond. It will bring together <\;strong>\ ;leading researchers<\;/strong>\;\, <\;strong>\;consumer protectio n authorities<\;/strong>\;\, and <\;strong>\;policy experts<\;/s trong>\; to:<\;/p>\;<\;ul>\;<\;li>\;Examine current digital marketing practices targeting children.<\;/li>\;<\;li>\;Highlight research on children’s advertising literacy and online vulnerability.< \;/li>\;<\;li>\;Share effective regulatory and enforcement strategie s.<\;/li>\;<\;li>\;Present national and regional tools protecting children from targeted marketing practices.<\;/li>\;<\;li>\;Promot e cross-border cooperation and knowledge exchange.<\;/li>\;<\;/ul> \;<\;h4>\;<\;strong>\;Key focus areas:<\;/strong>\;<\;/h4> \;<\;ul>\;<\;li>\;<\;strong>\;Understanding children’s digit al vulnerability: <\;/strong>\;children often fail to recognize advert ising disguised as entertainment or peer content\, leaving them open to in fluence and exploitation.<\;/li>\;<\;li>\;<\;strong>\;Research and evidence-based policymaking: <\;/strong>\;incorporating academic research\, especially on children’s advertising literacy\, enhances enfo rcement strategies and informs better regulatory frameworks.<\;/li>\;& lt\;li>\;<\;strong>\;International good practices: <\;/strong>\; case studies from the European Union\, Sweden and Mexico show how enforcem ent bodies are adapting to protect young users\, including through fines\, guidelines for influencers\, and disclosure mandates.<\;/li>\;<\;li >\;<\;strong>\;Call to action: <\;/strong>\;strengthening protec tion for children in digital markets demands joint efforts across sectors: governments\, researchers\, educators\, businesses\, and international or ganizations.<\;/li>\;<\;/ul>\;<\;h4>\;<\;strong>\;Why atte nd<\;/strong>\;<\;/h4>\;<\;p>\;Participants will gain practica l insights into current risks\, regulatory responses\, and future directio ns in protecting children from undue digital pressure. This webinar is ess ential for policymakers\, regulators\, educators\, academics\, and all sta keholders concerned with the impact of technologies on children as digital consumers.<\;/p>\;<\;h4>\;<\;strong>\;UNCTAD’s Informal Wor king Group on Consumer Protection in E-Commerce<\;/strong>\;<\;/h4&g t\;<\;p>\;This group was created by UNCTAD’s Intergovernmental group of experts on consumer protection law and policy. It meets regularly and informally through teleconferences and is open to Government representativ es\, with relevant expertise (for example national consumer protection aut horities)\; interested international organizations and networks\; and rele vant stakeholders from civil society and academia.<\;/p>\;\n\nView mee ting on unctad.org\nhttps://unctad.org/node/48630 DTSTAMP:20260708T004451Z END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR