Questions on access to appropriate information - Children’s Convention from the United Nations
Please inform the Committee about:
Question 15(a)
- The coverage of Internet services for children living in rural areas;
Reply to 15(a)
The Government has been progressively rolling out improved broadband to rural and remote areas through the Rural Broadband Initiative (RBI). Phase 1 concluded in 2016 with an estimated 300,000 rural homes and businesses receiving access to a broadband connection. Phase 2 commenced in 2017 and will conclude by 2023 to provide an estimated 84,000 additional rural homes and businesses will access to improved broadband of 20Mbps.
Additionally, the Marae Digital Connectivity programme deploys high speed broadband to the approximately 850 marae (meeting houses) that are eligible for a connection, with initial installation and training costs for the first five years fully funded by the Crown. Marae can provide a rural digital hub for communities.
Question 15(b)
- Measures taken to protect children, in particular those between 14 and 17 years of age, from harmful information and material, including advertisements.
Reply to 15(b)
DIA has launched a public awareness ‘Keep it Real Online’ campaign to help keep children and young people safe from online harms. The first phase of the campaign focused on supporting parents and caregivers to manage online risks for children and young people. The second phase of the campaign has been launched with messages directed at young people and updated resources on the website. Different age groups will be targeted in different ways to ensure messaging is effective and children and young people can get age-appropriate information and resources to stay safe online.
To protect children from online harm within the school environment, MOE has developed The Digital Technology: Safe and responsible use in schools guide to help all schools develop a safe digital environment. NetSafe provided support on the development of this tool, and also supports schools to proactively manage digital safety through their website.
