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Global Child Forum
ListenUp!
Advancing Digital Wellbeing for Children and Youth
Company Initiative
ListenUp! Giving Young People a Voice in the Digital World
Young people are growing up online.
But the digital spaces they occupy are not always developed with their privacy, safety and wellbeing at the forefront of design.
ListenUp! is a company initiative led by Global Child Forum to ensure the digital world is more inclusive, and designed with young people – not just for them.
To shape a safer and better digital world for young people, we are conducting annual youth consultations across multiple markets and geographies. Their own experiences must be heard and built into the solution – this is where ListenUp! is creating impact.
Companies need to ListenUp!
Together with our ListenUp! partners, Orange, Tele2, Telia Company, Ooredoo and TikTok, Global Child Forum is calling on mobile operators, social media platforms, academic experts, and children’s rights organisations to commit to listening directly to children and youth – ensuring their experiences shape the solutions they create.
Technology and Telecommunications companies influence children’s daily lives worldwide, and their participation can make a real difference in creating a healthier digital experience for all young users.
A critical moment for Tech & Telecom
Now is the time to prioritise a safer digital world
What does the initiative deliver?
ListenUp! offers both businesses and youth as a stakeholder group, a range of unique opportunities and benefits.
For Children and Youth
- A Voice in the Digital World – A direct channel to influence how digital spaces are designed and governed.
- Industry Commitment – Companies pledge to listen and be guided by young people’s expressed needs regarding their digital wellbeing.
For Companies
- Regulatory Alignment – Insights to help meet stakeholder consultation requirements under frameworks like the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD).
- Actionable Business Insights – Data from children and youth to develop products and services that truly meet their needs.
- Industry Leadership – A unique opportunity to lead the conversation on digital wellbeing and collaborate with key industry players.
Latest developments from ListenUp!
Coming soon: Survey insights from 5,000+ young people, collected during the second half of 2026.
As part of the next stage of ListenUp!, young people from 8 target countries have provided new perspectives and input, enabling us to build upon our learnings from focus groups carried out previously during the initiative.
The message is clear: young people consistently ask for trust and greater control over their digital experiences, challenging the assumption that protecting them simply means restricting access.
Stay tuned for detailed findings, with a full report to be presented soon.
Partners
Supporting the launch and development of this initiative
Report
ListenUp: What teenagers want Tech to Hear
As part of the first phase of ListenUp!, 93 teenagers from 8 countries participated in focus groups to share their views on the technology of today – how it impacts their daily lives, relationships, learning, and sense of self.Find out what they had to say.
Read the report
Become a Project Partner
The power of collaboration
We understand the value of bringing together experts and business leaders to solve the most critical challenges facing children today.
As a Global Child Forum Project Partner, you can sponsor and develop a tailor-made initiative or tool to positively impact children’s lives, while boosting your organisational knowledge of the issues.
Click below to find out more about the great benefits of partnering with us.
More information
- Safeguarding note: Click here to notify Global Child Forum of a situation related to child safeguarding within this initiative.
- Participation in this initiative does not influence or otherwise affect a company’s Benchmark score, and does not constitute an endorsement by Global Child Forum of any participating company’s overall policies or practices. Benchmark scores are calculated based on publicly available information and in accordance with our public methodology.