Growing up digital: respecting children’s evolving capacities in times of change

Digital technology has transformed childhood in unprecedented ways. Adolescents and young people are the most connected group globally: 71% of 15–24-year-olds are online.1 A UNICEF–Gallup poll in 55 countries found that 60% of them rely mainly on social media for news, while 75% of adults 65 or older still turn to TV, radio or print.2 For children today, the digital environment is a basic infrastructure of life.