Article 17: Access to information

Convention text

Children must have access to information and material from national and international sources. This is agreed by the countries that have signed the Convention. In particular, this includes sources that promote children’s social, spiritual and moral well-being and their health. The mass media play an important role in this. These countries must therefore:

• encourage the mass media to disseminate information and material that is socially and culturally beneficial to the child, and that is consistent with Article 29: The purpose of education;
• encourage international cooperation in producing, exchanging and disseminating information and material from a variety of cultural, national and international sources;
• encourage the production and distribution of children’s books;
• encourage the mass media to take account of the linguistic needs of children who belong to a minority group or an indigenous population;
• encourage organisations to develop guidelines to protect children from information and material that may be harmful to them or their well-being, taking into account Article 13: Freedom of expression and Article 18: Parental responsibilities.

Key point

Children have the right to information from a variety of sources, especially information that supports their well-being, health and development.

Explanation

Children have the right to information that they can understand and that supports their well-being, health and development. They therefore need to know where to find reliable information on topics that matter to them as they grow up. This includes information about parents, upbringing, friendships, social behaviour, relationships, sex and drugs. It also includes information about first menstruation and what children need to know about intimacy, pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections and contraception. Practical information is important too, for example traffic rules when children start travelling to school on their own. Information about the world they live in is also important for children. This is something that children’s newspapers and news programmes, for example, provide in a way they can understand.

The role of the government

The government must encourage the production and dissemination of information for children. At the same time, it must protect them from information that may be harmful. One way it does this in the Netherlands is through Kijkwijzer, which provides guidance on the age at which television programmes and films may be harmful to children.

The government must also ensure that information is accessible to children who do not speak Dutch at home or who come from a different cultural background.

Other children’s rights

The right to information is linked to Article 13: Freedom of expression, Article 18: Parental responsibilities, and Article 29: The purpose of education.