The Technical University of Munich collaborates with Apple to advance child safety in the digital space.

A new interdisciplinary initiative at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) will explore frontier issues in digital child safety following $500’000 dollar commitment from Apple.

The funding will be directed towards a transatlantic multi-stakeholder initiative at the TUM Think Tank to address emerging child safety challenges in the digital environment. Inviting collaboration among scholars at TUM, Harvard University, the University of Zurich, and facilitating contributions by a global research community, the initiative will explore a range of innovative technological, educational, and other approaches to prevent and respond to digital child safety issues.

The effort seeks to contribute to ongoing debates about novel ways to advance child safety while respecting privacy through a series of open source materials, including research briefs, issue spotters, or technical descriptions.

“Digital child safety remains a challenge in need of more than one solution, requiring enhanced collaboration among different stakeholders,” observes TUM Professor Urs Gasser, co-chair of the international effort together with youth and technology expert Dr. Sandra Cortesi. “At a moment of intense debate about ways forward, the initiative enables us to bring together researchers from different disciplines to take a look at a range of frontier ideas and approaches to advance the safety of young people in the digital realm.”

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TUM Think Tank

As a learning platform at the intersection of social sciences and technical disciplines, the TUM Think Tank develops innovative solutions for societal and political change with a commitment to public interest. Leveraging the technological and scientific advancements at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), it serves as a learning platform to develop actionable ideas and build bridges between social sciences and technical disciplines. Committed to academic rigor and dedicated to public interest, we aim to develop innovative approaches and applications in areas such as digital transformation, mobility, health, and sustainability by creating inclusive communities of practice from diverse fields and backgrounds. The TUM Think Tank is a member in the Global Network of Centers (NoC).

TL;DR

The Frontiers in Digital Child Safety initiative seeks to contribute to ongoing debates about novel ways to advance child safety through a series of open-source materials, including research briefs, issue spotters, or technical descriptions. It is complementary to existing and emerging child protection efforts. The transatlantic multi-stakeholder initiative at the TUM Think Tank is made possible by financial support from Apple. It invites collaboration among scholars at TUM, Harvard University, and the University of Zurich, and facilitates contributions by a global research community. The initiative will explore a range of innovative technological, educational, and other approaches to prevent and respond to digital child safety issues.