2026 Action Agenda:
The Children’s Rights Challenges That Will Define Business Leadership

1. Beyond compliance in an era of simplification

Across Europe, CSRD and CS3D are being simplified: scopes are narrowing, timelines are extending, and some obligations are being removed to reduce reporting burdens. But expectations from investors, children, and society are not softening in parallel. When policymakers step back, companies have an opportunity to step up. Those that integrate children’s rights into due diligence, governance, and reporting can build trust and stronger stakeholder relationships—especially as other regions continue to raise the bar through new sustainability rules. Global Child Forum and the LEGO Group’s Corporate Playbook helps companies use this moment wisely: treating streamlined reporting not as a reason to do less, but as a catalyst to redesign systems for better outcomes for children.

2. Digital wellbeing: Childhood at a breaking

Digital harm is accelerating faster than our understanding of what truly keeps children safe, and many governments are reaching for quick fixes—often driven more by adult fears than by what young people say they need. Children are asking for something different: healthier digital environments with less hate and pressure, and more spaces to connect, learn, and seek support. Yet their voices are too often sidelined while rules are written about them, not with them. Global Child Forum’s ListenUp! Digital Wellbeing project works with companies to embed children’s rights into product design, governance, and business models so that safety, participation, and privacy are built in from the start. In 2026, leadership means designing the digital world with children—not just restricting their access to it.

3. Climate impacts: Children on the frontline of every decision

Children already bear the harshest effects of climate change—heat, displacement, pollution, and food insecurity—yet few companies assess how climate strategies directly affect young people. Global Child Forum’s Benchmark continues to reveal this persistent gap. As investors sharpen their focus on long-term resilience, child-centred climate action must move from a “nice to have” to a core business priority. In 2026, credible companies will integrate children’s rights into transition plans, adaptation measures, and community investments.

4. Youth power: Young people as strategic stakeholders

Young people are shaping markets, movements, and political outcomes—and at the 2025 International Children’s Peace Prize, co-hosted by Global Child Forum, they delivered a clear message: “Don’t decide our future without us.” In 2026, listening to youth is strategy, not charity. Reflecting this shift, Global Child Forum will introduce a new Benchmark indicator assessing how well companies engage youth as external stakeholders. By involving young people—especially those vulnerable to business impacts—companies can better identify risks, strengthen materiality assessments, and build the trust and legitimacy needed with the next generation of consumers and talent.

5. Child labour: A global challenge resurfacing in unexpected places

The resurgence of child labour cases in the United States has shattered the idea that this is only a “developing-country issue.” Scrutiny is rising across sectors, and companies must strengthen due diligence to identify, prevent, and address risks throughout their value chains. Global Child Forum’s Industry Risk Tool supports companies in navigating these challenges. In 2026, leadership will be measured not by crisis response, but by proactive action, transparency, and credible remediation.

6. From policy to proof: Why outcomes for children now matter most

Global Child Forum’s 2025 Benchmark signals that the next leap is not writing more policies—it is proving that commitments change what children actually experience. The priority is to turn strong policies into measurable outcomes, especially in the marketplace where children meet companies through products, marketing, and online environments. In practice, this means moving from statements to evidence: safer design choices, responsible marketing, and governance that tracks real-world impact. In 2026, credibility will hinge on this pivot from policy to proof.

7. Children in conflict: Corporate responsibility in crisis

Nearly one in six children now lives in a conflict zone, placing new demands on companies operating in fragile contexts. Silence is no longer a neutral position. At the International Children’s Peace Prize, laureate Bana Alabed reminded the world of children’s right to safety, learning, and dignity—even in war. In 2026, companies must put the most vulnerable children at the centre of their decisions: safeguarding them in operations and supply chains, preventing and remedying harm, and using their influence to support access to protection, education, and stability when the world is most unstable.

8. Supply chains: From risk mitigation to better childhoods

Due diligence is evolving from avoiding harm to improving lives. Global Child Forum’s Beyond Compliance initiative, focused on the food and beverage sector, is co-creating tools that identify upstream risks while engaging children as stakeholders. This participatory, data-driven approach represents the future of supply-chain responsibility. In 2026, companies will stand out by showing how their sourcing and purchasing practices contribute to safer, healthier, and more equitable childhoods.

9. AI and children’s rights: Guardrails before harm

AI is rapidly shaping children’s everyday lives—what they see, who they interact with, and how they are influenced—yet safeguards are lagging behind deployment. From algorithmic amplification and persuasive design to deepfakes and “companion” bots, the risks to children’s privacy, dignity, and mental health are real and evolving. In 2026, responsible leadership means applying a children’s rights lens to AI from the start: assessing impacts before harm occurs, setting clear limits on manipulation and data use, and involving children in the design and governance of the technologies shaping their futures.

10. Children in the crossfire: ESG backlash and polarisation

Political polarisation and ESG backlash are reshaping corporate behaviour, from green-hushing to contested debates around education, books, and digital access. Children risk becoming collateral damage. Yet children’s rights—anchored in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child—remain one of the few areas of broad moral consensus. In 2026, companies will need clarity and courage: grounding decisions in international standards and demonstrating that children’s rights are non-negotiable, even in turbulent times.