The Eleven Principles

Empowering Every Child: Kabuni's Vision for the Future of Education

Kabuni's journey is one of innovation, inclusivity, and responsibility, guided by the unwavering commitment to uphold and respect the rights of every child in the digital age. We envision a world where every child can learn, grow, and thrive in a nurturing digital environment. Join us in shaping the future of education – a future that belongs to our children.

image source: Kabuni

01. Equity & Diversity

Equity and diversity in digital design means that all children, regardless of their characteristics and circumstances, are treated fairly and have equal access to digital products and services, and the opportunity to use them in ways they find meaningful. It also means that children should not be treated unfairly or discriminated against through the design, operation or marketing of digital products that may impact their lives.

The principle of equity and diversity draws together three sets of children’s rights:

• Non-discrimination: the right to be treated fairly and not discriminated against.

• Family provision and alternative care: to ensure that parents and caregivers are supported, and that children living in alternative care do not miss out.

• Special protective measures: to make explicit provisions for children with disabilities or those living in disadvantaged, marginalised or vulnerable situations, and empower parents and caregivers to support their children.

Equity and diversity does not mean that all children should be treated just the same, or that innovators cannot tailor their products to particular user groups. Kabuni will prioritise fairness by recognising and addressing the diverse needs and expectations of the children likely to use or be impacted by their product or service and taking active steps to avoid or overcome potential forms of exclusion or discrimination

02. Best Interests

At Kabuni, we are deeply committed to embedding children's best interests in our product development and design. Understanding that children's wellbeing, growth, development, and agency are paramount, we strive to balance these aspects with our business interests. This approach involves a comprehensive consideration of children's rights alongside the rights of others, within the contexts of use.

Our primary goal is to ensure the full and effective enjoyment of the rights recognized in the Convention on the Rights of the Child, fostering the holistic development of children. In our decision-making processes, we ensure that outcomes align with children's rights and do not conflict with them. Recognizing the importance of children's voices, we actively consult with them and consider their opinions in our innovations.

We acknowledge the challenges presented by frontier technologies, especially in identifying users' ages. Despite these challenges, Kabuni is dedicated to creating digital products and services that cater to the diverse needs and vulnerabilities of children, rather than overlooking them for profit.

In balancing the rights of all concerned, we prioritize the best interests of children, ensuring they are not just one of several considerations but a primary focus. This extends to the careful processing and use of data obtained from children in their digital activities.

Kabuni adheres to relevant legal frameworks and guidance that recognize the special protection children require regarding their personal data. The UK Age Appropriate Design Code (AADC) and other international standards guide our approach to digital design, placing children's best interests at the core.

By incorporating a Child Rights Impact Assessment (CRIA) into our design and development processes, we aim to anticipate and meet the diverse needs of children effectively. Our commitment is to prioritize their best interests in every aspect of our digital innovation and design.

Consultation

At Kabuni, we recognize the vital importance of engaging and listening to children's voices in our product development and design process. We understand that children have a right to be heard, to express their views freely, and to have those views considered seriously in matters affecting them. This approach helps us counterbalance any social and cultural biases against recognizing children’s perspectives.

We view children as crucial design partners, actively involving them throughout the design and development process. This not only demonstrates how their input shapes our outcomes but also creates opportunities for children to influence relevant decision-making processes.

Our approach to consulting with children is characterized by transparency, respect, relevance, inclusivity, and safety. We prioritize methods of communication that resonate with children, considering their age, digital inclusion, and barriers to participation. Importantly, we ensure that children understand how their views have influenced the outcomes of our processes.

At Kabuni, we believe that children’s creativity and playfulness are invaluable assets in the design process. We are committed to engaging children not only for products specifically intended for them but also for products they might use, regardless of the intended audience.

Our design cases go beyond conventional market research or user experience testing. Our focus is on enhancing the realization of children's rights through our products, such as safety and non-discrimination. We aim to collaborate with children, treating them as equal partners in the design process rather than merely as research subjects.

In addition to direct engagement with children, we also consult with academic experts, civil society organizations, youth organizations, parents, and caregivers to represent children's needs and rights comprehensively. However, these alternatives never replace direct engagement with children but supplement it.

At Kabuni, we adhere to relevant legal frameworks and guidelines, like the Lundy Model, which emphasizes creating a safe, inclusive, and respectful environment for children's participation. Our approach is about more than just listening to children; it's about actively collaborating with them as partners and incorporating their ideas into our designs.

We recognize that engaging children directly involves ethical considerations, such as obtaining meaningful consent from both the child and their caregivers. At Kabuni, we are committed to ensuring that the engagement of children and young people in our design processes is ethical, meaningful, and impactful.

04. Age Appropriate

At Kabuni, we are dedicated to developing products that are age-appropriate by design and we actively consider the use of age assurance mechanisms. Recognizing the unique developmental milestones and life circumstances of children, we tailor our products and services to align with these factors. We also understand the crucial role parents, caregivers, states, and businesses play in realizing children’s rights to provision, participation, and protection, in line with their evolving capacities and growing autonomy.

We embrace the concept of the child’s evolving capacities, acknowledging the gradual process through which children gain competencies and understanding. We also recognize the state's obligations to support parents and caregivers in mediating children's use of technology, and we see ourselves as a key player in this support system.

In line with various legal frameworks and guidance, such as the UK Age Appropriate Design Code (AADC) and IEEE standards, we aim to create digital innovations that are age-appropriate, uphold children’s rights, and are centered on their needs and diversity. We believe in facilitating children’s experiences in all aspects – from participation and learning to well-being.

In our design process, we focus on age appropriateness, reflecting the concept of evolving capacity, especially in contexts of play and learning. We encourage curiosity and consider children's evolving capabilities, personalities, skills, and interests. Our approach to child-computer interaction (CCI) is informed by child development theories, focusing on usability and the impact on a child.

We understand that the transition from childhood to adulthood is complex and varies across individuals, potentially increasing vulnerabilities. Therefore, we implement age-assurance mechanisms and age gating in our designs to protect children’s privacy and rights, while also ensuring they are not overly restrictive.

At Kabuni, we are committed to embedding children’s rights in our innovations. This means prioritizing features, functionality, content, and business models that align with children’s evolving capacities and agency. We strive to create products and services that do not put children’s well-being, privacy, or other rights at risk, but instead offer opportunities for growth and development.

05. Responsible

At Kabuni, our approach to responsible digital innovation involves a deep commitment to ethical, rights-based, and legal frameworks, ensuring our products and services empower children's digital lives by design. We recognize our role as duty bearers in child rights, diligently complying with relevant laws, regulations, and industry standards to safeguard children's rights. This encompasses adherence to the UK General Data Protection Regulation, Data Protection Act 2018, Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations, and the UK Equality Act 2010.

We prioritize providing children with accessible and safe avenues for remedies in case of any issues with our products or services. Understanding our responsibility extends to the entire lifecycle of our products, we focus on ensuring safety and ethical usage.

Our commitment to age-appropriate design is guided by framework the UK Age Appropriate Design Code. These standards help us in creating digital innovations that are respectful of children’s evolving capabilities and protective of their rights.

Aligning with the UK Online Safety Bill and Consumer Protection Regulations, we focus on protecting children against commercial exploitation and ensuring fairness in our digital offerings. This includes paying attention to the UK Online Safety Bill's requirements and adhering to consumer protection laws to prevent unfair and misleading commercial practices.

Establishing effective redress mechanisms is a crucial part of our operations. We have created clear and accessible processes for children to seek redress, including complaint processes, terms of service enforcement, and content moderation, ensuring these mechanisms are safe, accessible, and accountable.

Navigating the complex landscape of legal, regulatory, and standard requirements is essential for us at Kabuni, especially as we strive for child-centric digital innovation. Our approach is holistic, placing children's rights and needs at the forefront of our product design and development processes.

06. Participation

At Kabuni, we recognize the importance of enabling children's participation, expression, and access to information in the digital world. Creating opportunities for children to express themselves, receive diverse information, and engage in social and political activities is integral to our approach. We understand that while safety is crucial, it should not overshadow children's civil rights and freedoms, which are vital for their participation in digital society.

Children's rights encompass various aspects, including the freedom of expression, thought, association, peaceful assembly, and access to information. These rights allow children to form opinions, make choices, and participate freely and safely in social and political activities. Our commitment is to ensure that children can both access and contribute content easily, in their languages, from diverse sources, and in ways that benefit them in multiple dimensions.

Participation goes beyond being heard in the digital innovation process. It involves engaging in society through digital means. At Kabuni, we strive to open opportunities for constructive self-expression, creativity, exploration, and promote access to diverse information. We aim to provide children with safe online and offline experiences that help them develop relationships and social skills.

We are aware of the challenges digital products and services can pose, such as surveillance or AI-driven recommendation systems that can restrict or distort information. Our aim is to facilitate children’s participation in social and political activities, freedom of expression, and access to information, while being mindful of potential negative impacts.

We also understand that children’s participation in digital spaces often perceived as ‘for adults’ remains a challenge. We believe in empowering children in public and social spaces, providing them control features like blocking unwanted contacts. This approach aligns with children's rights to freedom of expression, which, while not absolute, can only be restricted in ways prescribed by law and necessary in a democratic society.

At Kabuni, we are dedicated to anticipating both intended and unintended uses of our products and services. Our goal is to ensure that our efforts to protect children do not compromise their rights to information, expression, and assembly. Similarly, our efforts to facilitate these rights should not come at the cost of children’s safety, privacy, or well-being. We commit to a balanced approach that respects and upholds the multifaceted rights of children in the digital world.

07. Privacy

At Kabuni, we embed privacy-by-design and data protection as core principles in our product development and usage. Our approach to privacy-respecting innovation is built on business models that are lawful, fair, transparent, and adhere to the principles of data minimisation, purpose limitation, and storage limitation. This means integrating design features that grant users meaningful control over their personal data, ensuring they can manage the visibility, access, and usage of their identifiable information.

Our commitment to privacy-by-design is rooted in children’s right to privacy and image protection. This involves deploying robust security measures to prevent unauthorized access to personal data and adhering to data protection principles. We prioritize the agency, dignity, and safety of children in how we handle and use their data.

At Kabuni, ensuring privacy in our products and services doesn't equate to a blanket ban on data sharing. Nor does it prevent us from generating added value from data processing. Instead, we focus on processing data fairly in ways that children and their parents would reasonably expect. We collect only the necessary data for the provision of our services, are transparent about our data processing practices, respect user choices, and safeguard data against unauthorized access, only retaining it for the necessary duration.

We understand children's concerns about privacy and data sharing. Their apprehensions, like the worries about sharing personal information online, guide our commitment to privacy and security. We continually work to ensure that our digital products and services honour and protect the privacy rights of all children, fostering a safe and secure digital environment.

08. Safety

Safety in digital innovation entails taking preventive measures proportionate to the risks while ensuring that children can fully enjoy the digital environment. This principle encompasses protecting children from abuse and neglect, preventing sexual exploitation, and promoting their recovery and reintegration in a safe and dignified manner. In the digital realm, risks include cyberaggression, cyberattacks, information warfare, child trafficking, and gender-based violence. It's essential to balance safety with children's rights and well-being in the digital world.

The principle of safety in digital innovation aligns with children's rights, including protection from abuse and neglect (CRC Article 19), special protection against sexual exploitation (CRC Article 34), and the promotion of physical and psychological recovery (CRC Article 39). In the digital environment, it addresses risks like cyberaggression, cyberattacks, information warfare, child trafficking, and gender-based violence, all of which can infringe on children's rights. Balancing these concerns is crucial to safeguarding children's well-being and rights in the digital world while allowing them to enjoy its benefits.

09. Wellbeing

Kabuni prioritizes enhancing children's life satisfaction and wellbeing through inclusive design. This involves promoting a balanced lifestyle, emotional regulation, and supportive social connections. Well-designed digital solutions should provide easy access to mental and physical health support and other forms of assistance. This principle is rooted in various children's rights, including the right to life, survival, and development, recognition of the needs of children with disabilities, access to the highest standard of health, an adequate standard of living, and protection from substance abuse. It applies to a wide range of digital products and services, emphasizing a healthy and balanced approach over harmful experiences.

In the context of Kabuni’s digital products and services used by children, it's essential for innovators to avoid designs that negatively impact children's social interactions, disrupt healthy routines, or manipulate their choices. Special attention should be given to accommodating the needs of children with disabilities to promote inclusivity. Innovations should encourage healthy lifestyles, provide access to health information and services, and offer creative opportunities while avoiding features that foster compulsion or harm relationships and routines. This approach aligns with the goal of enhancing children's overall wellbeing through responsible digital innovation.

10. Development

At Kabuni it is essential to enable children's learning, free play, sociability, and belonging through responsible digital innovation. This involves providing creative outlets for imagination, diverse educational opportunities, and an inclusive environment for children to thrive in. This aligns with the principle of development, which encompasses the rights to education, culture, and play for children. We prioritize creative resources and open-ended play, while also recognizing the importance of face-to-face learning and social interaction within school environments for children's holistic development.

11. Agency

In the context of Kabuni, supporting child users' decision-making means providing a digital environment where children can freely choose their interactions without manipulation. This aligns with the principle of agency, which protects children from economic and other forms of exploitation. Kabuni should ensure that its business models and features do not harm children's agency, avoiding practices such as persuasive design, data monetization, and manipulation of user choices. This approach safeguards children's rights, including protection against economic exploitation and other forms of exploitation, in line with the principles outlined in the document.

Kabuni will never engage in commercial exploitation practices that deceive or encourage children to make purchases are prohibited by UK consumer protection, advertising, and gaming laws, such as the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations (CPUTR) 2008. Compliance with sector-specific codes and guidance is essential. Advertising to children is regulated by both laws and self-regulatory codes, like the CAP Code. Compliance with these regulations is crucial for data processing related to advertising to prevent harm to children. Additionally, Kabuni will never include design features aimed at prolonging children's engagement and using their data for targeted marketing can breach the Advertising and Marketing Communications to Children (AADC) standards and other relevant guidelines.

Conclusion

Kabuni is boldly embracing innovation and technology to revolutionize education while prioritizing children's rights. With a commitment to integrating frontier technologies like AI, VR, AR, and Blockchain into the education sector, Kabuni is charting new territory. Our vision includes co-creating and co-designing with the education sector to ensure technology is purpose-built for children's benefit. Kabuni aims to set industry standards for responsible tech integration, delivering technology that is not only cutting-edge but also safe and beneficial for children and young people, ultimately redefining the future of education.

By adhering to these principles, Kabuni guarantees non-discrimination, prioritizes the child's best interests, promotes age-appropriate content, fosters responsible innovation, encourages child participation, safeguards privacy, incorporates safety by design, focuses on well-being, supports development and learning, empowers agency, and upholds the principles of non-discrimination. This approach not only aligns with ethical standards but also establishes Kabuni as a responsible and trustworthy platform that prioritizes children's rights and safety above all else.

Our manifesto on Child's Rights by Design is a living document that we are committed to continually reviewing and improving. We invite open and constructive discussions with all stakeholders, including our users, partners, experts in child rights, and the wider community. Your insights and feedback are invaluable in shaping our approach and ensuring that we uphold the highest standards in protecting children in the digital world. Join us in this ongoing dialogue to create a safer and more inclusive environment for children online. Together, we can make a meaningful difference.