A National Priority: Russia Pilots a Digital Childhood Safety Index
Russia has successfully completed a field pilot of the Digital Childhood Safety Index – the country’s first national tool designed to provide a comprehensive assessment of how well minors are protected in the digital environment. Developed by the Alliance for the Protection of Children in the Digital Environment together with the company Mindsmit, the index enables a systemic analysis of digital safety that accounts for the interaction between families, schools, government institutions, and digital services.
Strengths and Vulnerabilities
The pilot covered nine Russian regions and included responses from 1,092 parent surveys and 492 adolescent questionnaires. The methodology, which evaluates seven core components of digital well-being – engagement, digital literacy, digital hygiene, parental and educational environments, enabling infrastructure, and the broader social context – was tested and refined. The study identified clear strengths, such as the stabilizing role of social surroundings, alongside weaknesses, including low parental engagement and gaps in support infrastructure.
The rollout of the index carries strategic implications. For the IT sector, it offers a national benchmark for evaluating the safety of digital products and services. For government agencies, it becomes a measurement tool for assessing the effectiveness of programs and coordinating oversight across departments. Society at large benefits from heightened awareness of digital risks and improved family-level literacy. Beyond national borders, the methodology may also serve as a reference model for international initiatives focused on assessing and comparing children’s digital safety.
Alignment With International Standards
As the first systemic metric of children’s digital safety in Russia, the index opens pathways for scaling and export. These include adapting the methodology for countries with developing digital ecosystems, aligning indicators with international standards, and sharing best practices in child protection online. At the same time, any cross-border application would require careful consideration of legal frameworks and cultural differences.
Beginning in 2026, the index is expected to be deployed nationwide. This will enable the regular collection of data on digital risks and children’s well-being across regions, segmented by settlement type and social group. The resulting datasets can support the development of targeted educational programs for parents and students, as well as monitoring and early-warning tools built in cooperation with IT platforms and regulators. Business participation, educational institutions, and nonprofits are expected to play a key role in building services that directly enhance children’s digital safety.
Government Programs and Policy Context
Russia has been implementing a multi-year set of measures aligned with the National Strategy for Action in the Interests of Children, known as Desyatiletie detstva (Decade of Childhood, 2018–2027). The program includes areas such as childhood health, family well-being, and child-focused infrastructure, each with defined goals and implementation measures. Among them is the development of tools for assessing adolescents’ quality of life and subjective well-being, supported by academic institutions and federal education authorities.
The development of the Digital Childhood Safety Index was officially announced in February 2025. At the time, policymakers emphasized that the index supports a strategic shift toward an environment in which children are not only protected but also become active participants in managing their own digital safety. The tool is intended to underpin interagency and cross-sector coordination.
Globally, research into children’s digital safety is expanding. International organizations, including UNICEF, have outlined key online risks requiring protection, such as hate speech, online violence, and cyberbullying.
In parallel, Russia is running national initiatives to improve digital literacy among students and parents. One example is the “Digital Student Portfolio” project, which allows families to manage educational trajectories, track academic and personal achievements, and prepare documentation for vocational or higher education pathways.
Toward Federal-Level Deployment
The Digital Childhood Safety Index represents a significant step toward strengthening digital sovereignty and delivering comprehensive protection for minors online. Rather than focusing solely on threats, it evaluates how effectively families, schools, government bodies, and digital platforms interact, making it a decision-support tool rather than a reactive checklist.
Looking ahead to 2026–2027, development plans include nationwide implementation, the creation of automated platforms for data collection and analysis, and integration of the index into broader child well-being monitoring systems. In the 2027–2030 timeframe, the methodology is expected to expand with new indicators, including psychological well-being and the impact of AI-driven services, as well as components aimed at improving digital literacy for future generations. Over the long term, international adaptation, standardization, and collaboration with foreign child-protection organizations remain realistic objectives.
