Child-Led Research on Online Safety in Nepal

As children navigate increasingly complex digital spaces, their lived experiences offer insights that may not appear in adult-led research. Two child-led studies under the SCROL programme in Nepal engage children as researchers rather than subjects. This demonstrates how participation reshapes what is seen, asked, and understood about online safety. By capturing perspectives from children, parents, and teachers through children’s inquiry, the research reveals gaps between policy and everyday realities. This article draws on their shared findings to show why child-led research is not only ethical, but essential for effective digital child protection.

Understanding Perspectives for Effective Online Protection Policy

Nepal’s rapid digitalisation has transformed how children learn, socialise, and express themselves. Alongside these opportunities, risks related to Online Child Sexual Exploitation (OCSE), cyberbullying, harmful content, and digital wellbeing have intensified. Two child-led research studies conducted under Terre des Hommes Netherlands’ Safety for Children and their Rights Online (SCROL) programme offer a rare, complementary perspective on these challenges: one exploring children’s and parents’ online experiences, and the other examining teachers’ perspectives on online safety and digital behaviour. Read together, these studies reveal consistent patterns, shared gaps, and converging recommendations that can inform policy, education systems, and child protection responses.

Why Child-Led Research Matters

Respondents and Methodology

Both studies are grounded in a child-led, participatory methodology that positions children not as passive subjects, but as active researchers. Children aged 11–17 were oriented on OCSE and led the entire research process from developing questions to collecting and interpreting data. In the first study, child researchers engaged 443 children and 211 parents across Bagmati and Gandaki provinces, while the second study captured perspectives from 328 teachers in the same regions.

This approach is crucial for three reasons :

• It strengthens the credibility and relevance of findings, as children often elicit more candid responses from peers, parents, and even teachers.

• It surfaces realities that adults often overlook such as peer dynamics, fear of judgement, and silence around identity.

• It operationalises children’s right to participation, ensuring that policies designed to protect them are informed by children’s lived experiences.

Methodologically, both studies employed simple random sampling using questionnaires drafted by children themselves with support from youth advocates of Terre des Hommes Netherlands in Nepal. The process adhered to strict ethical protocols, including voluntary participation, informed consent, anonymity, and referral pathways for support.

The following are the common findings and associated recommendations.

Widespread Recognition of Online Risks, Uneven Preparedness

Across both studies, there is strong consensus that online risks are real and growing. Most teachers agree that children should learn about online dangers, and many parents and children acknowledge exposure to harmful content, cyberbullying, and exploitation risks. However, preparedness to respond remains uneven.

Teachers, particularly in Bagmati, often feel uncomfortable, untrained, or unsure about addressing sensitive topics such as OCSE or online sexual content. Similarly, while children demonstrate basic safety practices such as avoiding unknown friend requests. Many lack awareness of formal reporting mechanisms. This mismatch between awareness and capacity creates protection gaps where risks are recognised but not effectively addressed.

• Recommendation:

Invest in continuous, age-appropriate capacity building for teachers, children, and parents that goes beyond awareness to practical response skills.

Silence, Discomfort, and Stigma Around Sensitive Topics

Both studies highlight a culture of silence around sensitive issues, particularly those related to sexuality, exploitation, and gender identity. Teachers report avoiding discussions due to fear of parental backlash, lack of training, or cultural taboos. Parents, especially in Gandaki, show lower acceptance of diverse gender identities encountered online. Children, in turn, internalise harm. Nearly one in five keep negative online experiences to themselves.

This silence increases vulnerability. When children feel unable to ask questions or seek help, harmful experiences go unreported and unaddressed.

• Recommendation:

Normalise age-appropriate conversations on online safety, identity, and wellbeing through curriculum integration, teacher training, and parent engagement, explicitly addressing stigma and discomfort.

Preventive vs. Punitive Responses to Online Behaviour

A clear pattern emerges in how adults respond to children’s online behaviour. Many teachers default to disciplinary action or ignoring the issue, particularly in Bagmati, while children often rely on peers rather than adults for support. Parents’ approaches range from unrestricted access to complete bans, reflecting uncertainty rather than informed supervision.

Preventive, supportive approaches such as counselling, digital literacy, and open dialogue are less consistently applied, despite evidence that they are more effective in reducing harm.

• Recommendation:

Shift institutional and behavioural responses from punitive or reactive measures to preventive, non-judgemental, and supportive approaches centred on guidance and trust.

Gaps in Legal and Institutional Awareness

The studies reveal stark differences in awareness and use of legal frameworks. While many teachers in Gandaki report following Nepal’s internet safety laws, the majority in Bagmati do not integrate these laws into teaching. Among parents and children, knowledge of OCSE reporting mechanisms is alarmingly low.

Without clear understanding of rights, laws, and reporting pathways, accountability mechanisms remain underused.

• Recommendation:

Develop simplified, child- and teacher-friendly legal toolkits and integrate legal literacy into school systems and community programmes.

Digital Wellbeing and Mental Health

Children’s testimonies point to significant mental health impacts of online harm, including anxiety, sleep disruption, and social withdrawal. Teachers and parents acknowledge both the benefits and risks of social media, yet structured digital wellbeing education remains limited.

• Recommendation:

Embed digital wellbeing and mental health support into online safety interventions, ensuring access to counselling and peer support systems.

Towards a Coherent, Child-Centred Response

Taken together, these two child-led studies present a coherent picture: awareness of online risks exists, but systems are fragmented, capacities uneven, and silence persistent. The consistency of findings across children, parents, and teachers strengthens the case for a comprehensive, standardised, and inclusive digital safety framework in Nepal.

Crucially, the methodology itself is a key finding. Child-led research not only produces richer data but also models the kind of participation, trust, and agency that effective online safety responses require. Scaling such approaches while strengthening institutional accountability offers a powerful pathway towards safer, more supportive digital environments for children.

Disclaimer : AI tools were used to synthesise findings and recommendations for the article