Norway
Young people from around the world,
Excellencies,
Distinguished delegates,
Welcome to the IGF 2025 Global Youth Summit.
Just months ago in Riyadh, the IGF Youth Summit brought global attention to the importance of AI in education.
Today, with your bottom-up consultations, you rightly set the tone by focusing on an issue that defines your generation: on the regulation of social media.
Social media is integral to our lives, so much that most of you have never known a world without it.
Globally, over 77 percent of young people aged 15 to 24 use the Internet, and the vast majority -- more than 80 percent -- are active on social media.
While these platforms offer incredible opportunities, they were not necessarily built with your safety as a primary concern.
The risks are real and pervasive. Over one-third of young people in 30 countries report being cyberbullied.
Youth data are harvested for inappropriate targeted advertising, and the impact of excessive screen time on mental and physical health is a growing crisis.
In response, many governments are turning to solutions like age verification laws
to protect youth, particularly minors.
But this raises a critical question:
How do we protect young people online without compromising their rights or limiting their freedom to participate fully in the digital world?
I believe that the answer is in this room. Meaningful protection cannot be imposed from the top down; it must be co-created with youth engagement.
Placing youth at the center of policymaking is not just good practice, but it is a moral imperative. Meaningful youth engagement is necessary to ensure digital environments are safe, grounded in respect for young people’s rights, and supportive of their healthy development.
The voices of youth are essential to shaping policies that reflect real experiences and needs.
I am encouraged to see senior government leaders, representatives from major social media platforms, key regulators and other actors here today.
Your presence signals a vital willingness to listen, and more importantly, to act on what you hear.
The goal is clear: to have smart, rights-respecting regulation that keeps young people safe, secure, and protected, while empowering them to freely explore, express, and grow.
This Summit is a critical stop in a global journey. The Youth IGF Track is building momentum from across the globe, from the European IGF in France and the African IGF in Tanzania, to future gatherings at the Asia-Pacific IGF in Nepal, and the Latin American and Caribbean IGF.
This journey is about building momentum and amplifying youth leadership in Internet governance. This global engagement is especially timely as this year marks the 20-year review of the World Summit on the Information Society.
This is a pivotal opportunity to redefine digital governance for the next generation.
I urge you to actively share your insights from this Track to the WSIS+20 process.
You are not just part of the discussion; you are essential to designing a safer, more equitable digital future, reflecting the diversity of practices, challenges, and aspirations.
I wish you fruitful deliberations.
Thank you.