The personal empowerment that has resulted from this is phenomenal and kids are keenly taking: according to new research, 86 percent of European teenagers are regularly online, and many young people are creating, contributing to, and engaging in their own digital culture. 

As society moves further into the internet-connected world, we at Microsoft believe that maintaining these opportunities necessitate a joint effort to address potential risks and ensure the safety of teens and children online. We are taking our share of this responsibility seriously and are actively working with the Commission and other stakeholders towards this goal.

We are therefore pleased that the European Commission has recognized our design efforts to protect the privacy of Windows Live and Xbox LIVE users by highlighting our services as a best practice in its recent, second assessment of the Safer Social Networking Principles. We feel encouraged in our approach to safety and privacy online.

Rather than relying solely on protective measures, we also advocate an approach to online safety that includes “digital citizenship”. Teaching kids about digital literacy, digital ethics and etiquette will help young people safely interact in the online world. We have been listening carefully to our partners and added more material directly addressed to teens on our corporate safety website. Learn more about our newest digital citizenship efforts here.

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