Research

KidsRights, together with the prestigious Erasmus University, conducts and publishes research through the KidsRights Index, the only global ranking that anually measures how children’s rights are respected worldwide and to what extent countries are committed to improving the rights of children. It comprises a ranking of all UN member states that have ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and for which sufficient data is available, as of 2023 a total of 193 countries are part of the Index.

In 2023 over 3,1 billion people were reached through media.

The KidsRights Index is a means for governments, organizations and children to take action for children’s rights. Based on the results of the Index, KidsRights advises governments on what they can do to improve children’s development.

Each winner of the International Children’s Peace Prize is dedicated to a specific child rights theme. KidsRights conducts research on these themes to provide background to our work and that of the winners. This research is published in our KidsRights Reports.

The research has been conducted in collaboration with Leiden University. Governments, aid organizations and children use the research reports in their work.

Imagine a world where our children have a voice and an active role in shaping the development of artificial intelligence systems. Thanks to a collaborative research effort between KidsRights and DesignLab at the University of Twente, this vision is becoming a reality in the Netherlands. Our goal is to enable meaningful child participation in the discussion around AI systems – a crucial topic in our rapidly evolving world. 

While AI innovations are booming, children’s perspectives are often excluded from the conversation. This is a mistake, as children not only possess unique insights, but they can also be more vulnerable to the impacts of these systems. By capturing their intuitive sense-making skills, the researchers hope to gain valuable knowledge that can be used to shape ethical, socially responsible, and child-centered AI design frameworks and educational strategies.

Children between the ages of 6 and 18 were surveyed, and the vast majority of respondents were between 6 and 13 years old. Through their answers, the researchers were able to gain insights into which AI systems children recognized and how they described their interactions with these systems. By thinking critically about the potential impacts – both positive and negative – of AI systems, and considering desirable and undesirable future impacts, the children’s voices have become a powerful force in shaping the future of AI development.

You can download the full report below.Available also in the child-friendly version.