BANGLADESH鈥橲 digital space has expanded rapidly over the past decade, bringing with it fresh opportunities for learning, self-expression and civic participation. Yet for many children and adolescents, particularly those already marginalised, the internet has become less a gateway than a trap. What was once imagined as an egalitarian arena for young minds is now increasingly polluted with abuse, misinformation, surveillance and exploitation. The ones most at risk 鈥� girls, gender-diverse youth and children with disabilities 鈥� remain the least protected.
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Silent emergency
RECENT data reveal a disturbing trend: over 30 per cent of children in Bangladesh have encountered some form of online violence. From harassment on social media to blackmail through messaging apps, young people are being harmed in digital spaces with few avenues for recourse. Exposure to explicit content is common, often without the knowledge or guidance of adults. Worse still, many children are discouraged from speaking out by families who fear shame or community reprisal. This culture of silence breeds impunity for perpetrators and deters institutional response.
While smartphone access and cheap data packages have driven a sharp rise in internet usage, particularly in urban and peri-urban areas, the protection mechanisms required to shield children from harm have not evolved accordingly. In slums and rural communities, where access to services is already uneven, this gap is particularly acute.
Despite their prominent presence online, children are rarely considered in the national discourse around digital safety. Bangladesh continues to lack a dedicated legal framework focused on protecting children online. Instead, existing legislation, such as the Digital Security Act, tends to prioritise state control over dissent rather than safeguarding vulnerable users. The unique risks faced by children 鈥� coercion, manipulation, grooming 鈥� are not meaningfully addressed.
Adding to the challenge is the near-total lack of accountability from global tech platforms operating in Bangladesh. Most social media sites still do not offer meaningful age verification, age-appropriate moderation, or reporting tools in Bangla. Internet service providers, too, are largely unregulated in matters of child protection. The result is that children, often unequipped and unheard, are left to defend themselves in a space designed without them in mind.
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鈥楽peak Up!鈥�
TO CLOSE this critical gap, a new initiative titled 鈥楽peak Up! Empowering CSOs to Protect Children and Youth鈥檚 Freedom of Expression in the Digital Space in Bangladesh鈥� was launched in 2025. Funded by the European Union and led by Terre des Hommes Netherlands, the three-year project operates in Dhaka, Gazipur, Satkhira and Bagerhat, in collaboration with Ain o Salish Kendra, Breaking the Silence and INCIDIN Bangladesh.
鈥楽peak Up!鈥� focuses on online sexual exploitation, cyberbullying, misinformation and digital surveillance 鈥� particularly targeting marginalised children and youth. It seeks to directly engage 2,000 children and adolescents, strengthen more than 50 civil society organisations, and involve over 10,000 community members in creating safer digital environments.
At its core, the project centres the voices of children. It works with schools, families and local groups to raise awareness and build resilience. CSOs are trained to deliver survivor-centred services and to push for more inclusive, responsive legal reform.
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Safety as precondition
DIGITAL spaces should be platforms for learning and connection. not arenas where speaking out leads to harm. For girls, LGBTQ+ youth and children with disabilities, the risks are disproportionately high. They are silenced not only by abusers but by the fear and stigma embedded in their own homes and communities.
Freedom of expression is not merely a right. It is foundational to any inclusive, democratic society. Through digital literacy, peer-led campaigns, and child-friendly materials, 鈥楽peak Up!鈥� helps equip young people with the tools to navigate the online world safely. The fact that many of these resources are co-designed by children themselves ensures that the responses are rooted in real experiences, not theoretical ideals.
Local CSOs are being empowered to respond to digital risks in trauma-informed ways, influence public discourse and advocate policy change. But the involvement of non-state actors, while necessary, is not enough in the absence of binding national standards.
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Holding platforms to account
PERHAPS the most glaring omission in Bangladesh鈥檚 digital ecosystem is the lack of accountability imposed on tech companies. Social media giants such as Facebook, TikTok and YouTube operate with minimal obligation to protect children. There is little transparency in how harmful content is flagged or removed. Reporting mechanisms are poorly designed and linguistically inaccessible.
Bangladesh must take steps to follow the lead of countries such as the United Kingdom and members of the European Union, whose Online Safety Acts and Digital Services regulations establish enforceable responsibilities for platforms. At the very least, Bangladesh needs a national code of conduct for digital platforms and ISPs 鈥� one that mandates child protection standards, ensures content moderation in Bangla and facilitates direct cooperation with local authorities.
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Culture of protection
EVEN with legal reforms, the success of child online protection will depend heavily on public awareness. Too often, parents, teachers and local leaders are unfamiliar with the digital risks their children face or feel helpless in addressing them. In areas where internet access has outpaced safety education, this can have dire consequences.
Community outreach must be an integral part of any digital safety strategy. The 鈥楽peak Up!鈥� initiative includes digital parenting workshops, peer support circles, and school sessions that demystify online risks. Frontline workers 鈥� teachers, healthcare providers, social workers 鈥� must be trained to spot and respond to signs of digital harm.
Importantly, all tools must be accessible. Reporting systems must be designed for children with disabilities and those who face linguistic or cultural barriers. Survivors must know they will be believed, not shamed.
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Children鈥檚 rights
ONLINE protection for children is not a luxury, it is a necessity. Bangladesh cannot achieve its development aspirations while failing to safeguard its most vulnerable users in a rapidly digitising society. The internet, left ungoverned, will continue to deepen inequalities, spread harmful content and expose children to irreversible harm.
What is needed now is a comprehensive national strategy, with coordinated efforts across government, civil society, private companies and communities. This strategy must be adequately funded, inclusive of children鈥檚 voices, and driven by measurable objectives. It must address the distinct challenges faced by girls, gender-diverse youth and children with disabilities 鈥� not as an afterthought, but as a priority.
Bangladesh has made remarkable progress in health, education and disaster preparedness. It is time that child online safety is treated with the same urgency. Children deserve more than internet access 鈥� they deserve dignity, protection and the freedom to speak without fear.
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Nazrul Islam is the country manager of Terre des Hommes Netherlands in Bangladesh.
