Children and adolescents make up a third of Internet users, of whom close to 60% have suffered digital violence. Access to mobile phones and social networks begins at the age of 5, digital autonomy begins at the age of 9, and one in seven adolescents has been exposed to malicious content, contacts or behavior. Guaranteeing and promoting a safe and reliable digital environment for the integral development of children is an urgent and necessary social obligation.

This guarantee is based on the constitutional principle of the rule of law, recognition of the right to personal integrity, which includes a life without violence in the public and private sphere, and which establishes the obligation to take the necessary measures to prevent, eliminate and sanction all forms of violence, especially against girls, boys and adolescents. From the criminal dimension, the Law on the Organic Reform of the Comprehensive Organic Criminal Code to prevent and combat digital sexual violence and strengthen the fight against computer crime is in force in our country; This norm classifies digital violence as a criminal offense and integrates specific articles with a focus on children on pornography, harassment, school and academic bullying, sexual harassment and abuse, and sexual extortion recorded or transmitted by any digital means, electronic device or any of the available information and communication technologies. The effectiveness of this law requires the behavior of citizens that activates the power of the law through the main mechanism of protection: complaint; However, according to the Prosecutor’s Office, only one out of ten cases of digital violence against children is reported, so these crimes against children go unpunished.

As a society, we must be aware that digital violence has serious consequences on a physical, psychological and social level. A Unicef ​​study on the impact of technology on adolescence found a low level of supervision that fathers and mothers exercise over digital habits at home; For example, when comparing adolescents who never or almost never connect to the Internet after midnight and those who do so regularly, it is observed, in the latter, that various risky behaviors on the Internet triple, which reveals the importance of establishing norms and limits from the core families and parental escorts.

The study also highlights the importance of digital violence specialization for educators in educational institutions to promote self-protection. This responsibility also extends to technology companies that must intensify the development of their products and services with ethical standards, aligned with regulatory pressure aimed at protecting personal integrity.

Protecting children from digital violence is not only a moral duty, it is a social priority that forces us to commit to the comprehensive well-being of children and a safe, fair and responsible digital coexistence. (OR)