The Ministry of Finance supported the creation of the Digital Childhood Safety Index

The Ministry of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media of the Russian Federation has supported the Digital Childhood Safety Index, Russia's first comprehensive assessment tool for the protection of children in the digital environment. The project was presented at an IT breakfast at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) by the Alliance for the Protection of Children in the Digital Environment.

Modern children are immersed in digital reality from an early age, where opportunities go hand in hand with risks. The index is designed to systematically measure the level of digital security, help determine how well a child can recognize online threats, knows the basics of digital hygiene, and receives support from adults and institutions.

In the near future, testing of the tool will begin in a number of regions of the country with the participation of schoolchildren, parents and teachers. This will allow not only to test the methodology, but also to collect objective data on the current level of digital security of children in Russia.

"Unfortunately, digital dictation has shown that young people have the lowest digital literacy. Our children trust digital technologies too much, including artificial intelligence, which is used by scammers. This is becoming our common problem, which we need to think about together, not just individual organizations," commented Tatiana Matveeva, Head of the Presidential Administration for the Development of ICT and Communications Infrastructure.

Elizaveta Belyakova, Chairman of the Alliance for the Protection of Children in the Digital Environment, stressed that the Index should become a key guideline for building systemic protection of children online.

"It is important not just to be aware of the risks, but to be able to measure them. Without such a tool, we remain in response mode, not prevention. The index is a step towards creating an environment where every child becomes not only an object, but also a subject of their own digital security," she said.

The creation of the index supports the strategic goal of creating an environment where every child becomes not only an object of protection, but also an active subject of their own digital security. It is expected that this tool will become the basis for building interdepartmental and intersectoral cooperation.

Creating a secure digital environment is not only a technological but also a humanitarian task. The implementation of the Index requires sustained interagency cooperation and the involvement of all participants in the process — from teachers and parents to government agencies and businesses. This approach allows us to build protection that can stay ahead of threats and strengthen the digital resilience of the next generation.