NEW YORK, United States, September 21, 2026: First Lady Rachel Ruto has called for stronger global action to protect children from online harm, warning that digital innovation must never outpace child safety.
Speaking at the United Nations Headquarters in New York during the Invisible Architecture: Building Safe Digital Systems for Children, Strengthening International Standards and Common Responsibility forum, Mrs Ruto said children could be exposed to serious risks online even while physically safe at home.
“A child can be sitting in the safest room in the house and still be walking through the most unsafe places in the world, one tap at a time,” she said.
The forum brought together First Ladies, representatives of the United Nations and UNICEF, child-protection organisations, technology leaders, civil society and academia to examine how digital systems can better protect children in an era of artificial intelligence.
Mrs Ruto said Kenya was embracing digital transformation and the opportunities it presents for young people, while emphasising that innovation must be matched by responsibility.
“Kenya is pursuing its place among Africa’s leading digital economies, but we are equally clear: progress must never outpace protection,” she said.
She highlighted Kenya’s Voice of Children Initiative, which is anchored on three pillars—Provision, Protection and Participation. The initiative seeks to expand children’s access to opportunities, protect them from harm and exploitation, including online, and ensure that their voices are reflected in decisions that affect their lives.
The First Lady noted that Kenya’s legal and policy framework provides safeguards against abuse, harassment and exploitation of children online. These include the Constitution, the Children Act, the Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act, the Data Protection Act, as well as national guidelines on child online protection and safety.
She said Kenya was also translating these commitments into action through a national plan to address online child sexual exploitation and abuse, alongside community awareness and training, reporting mechanisms, and strengthened investigation and prosecution of offenders.
Mrs Ruto further highlighted efforts to embed safety into digital innovation from the outset through Kenya’s National AI Strategy, digital literacy programmes and partnerships that equip children, teachers and parents with the knowledge and skills to use technology safely and creatively.
In May, Kenya convened the Africa Forward Summit in Nairobi, bringing together African First Ladies, policymakers and technology leaders to advance safer digital spaces for children in an increasingly AI-driven world.
The First Lady stressed that protecting children online requires collective international action because digital harms do not respect national borders.
“A child in Nairobi, a child in Ankara and a child in any city represented in this room are sharing the same digital street,” she said. “If the harms do not stop at our borders, our protection as well should not stop at our borders.”
She called on governments to strengthen legal and regulatory frameworks, technology companies to place child safety at the heart of platform design, schools to strengthen digital literacy, and parents to receive greater support in guiding children through the digital world.
“Every line of code, every platform rule and every policy decision is shaping a child’s future,” Mrs Ruto said. “We must make the invisible architecture visible through accountability, and build a world where every child can learn, explore and thrive without surrendering their safety.”
