BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
PRODID:unctad.org
BEGIN:VEVENT
UID:6a8e56f3ebb25
DTSTART:20260617T120000Z
SEQUENCE:0
TRANSP:OPAQUE
DTEND:20260617T133000Z
LOCATION:\, 
SUMMARY:Research Partnership Platform webinar: Children&#039\;s protection 
 online – what role for consumer protection authorities?
CLASS:PUBLIC
DESCRIPTION:The Research Partnership Platform (RPP)\, created in 2010\, pro
 vides an informal forum that brings together scholars and enforcers to sup
 port dialogue and cooperation in competition and consumer protection polic
 ies. The United Nations Conference on Competition and Consumer Protection\
 , in its 9th session held in 2025\, recognized the role of the platform in
  strengthening UNCTAD’s research and policy analysis capacities and link
 ing research findings to its technical cooperation pillar.In our digitaliz
 ed world\, children are increasingly connected and exposed to business pra
 ctices that they and other vulnerable consumers often cannot detect or ful
 ly understand. Children use online gaming platforms\, engage in exchanges 
 on social networks\, and follow video and music streaming platforms and ap
 ps. These platforms and apps have recently come into the spotlight for del
 iberately embedding design features aimed at maximizing youth engagement t
 o drive advertising revenue into their products.  This potentially puts t
 he mental health of vulnerable consumers\, especially children\, in danger
 .United Nations Guidelines for Consumer Protection provides for the protec
 tion of vulnerable and disadvantaged consumers\, in its paragraph 5(b)\; a
 s well as the protection of consumers from hazards to their health and saf
 ety in paragraph 5(c). Children are vulnerable in their use of digital pla
 tforms and social networks as they are not aware of the consequences of th
 eir actions on these platforms since their brains are still developing and
  they cannot necessarily distinguish between good or unfair practices and 
 neither control themselves to use them moderately. These platforms are bel
 ieved to be designed to be addictive. In a digital environment where adult
 s may easily demonstrate addiction to some of these platforms/apps\, child
 ren cannot be expected to take informed decisions in how they use and mana
 ge this space.  This RPP webinar aims to discuss the relevance of the Uni
 ted Nations Guidelines for Consumer Protection and the newly adopted Unite
 d Nations Principles for Consumer Product Safety to the protection of vuln
 erable consumers including children in national consumer protection legisl
 ation. It brings scholars to reflect on the role of consumer protection au
 thorities in shielding children from adverse mental health effects stemmin
 g from the addictive use of platforms and social networks.  https://docs.
 un.org/en/A/C.2/80/L.42\n\nView meeting on unctad.org\nhttps://unctad.org/
 meeting/research-partnership-platform-webinar-childrens-protection-online-
 what-role-consumer
DTSTAMP:20260826T030107Z
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR