Abstract:

Digital technologies have become an integral part of everyday life, not only for adults but also for children. Estimates suggest that every third internet user worldwide is a child. While technological advancements have expanded the opportunities and realization of children's rights, offering them a platform to communicate with peers, seek information, and spread knowledge freely, they also pose significant challenges and risks, particularly concerning the legal protection of minors in the online environment. Children today face various threats such as inappropriate content, cyberbullying, and the unlawful collection, storage, and use of personal data. The protection of children's digital rights is a growing concern for the international community.

In Central Asia, the widespread adoption of information technologies is evident both at the national level and in individuals' private lives. Countries in this region face the crucial task of ensuring the digital rights of their youth amid the rapid development of these technologies. The region's population is predominantly young, with nearly half under the age of 25 in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. Given the youthful demographic, it is imperative to implement legal and technical mechanisms to protect their rights in the digital space.

Ensuring children's digital rights encompasses the full spectrum of their rights and freedoms through the lens of information and technological development. Therefore, in analyzing and studying the protection of minors' digital rights in Central Asia, measures such as access to the internet and information technologies, online services, personal data protection, and information security must be considered. The legal protection of children's digital rights in Central Asia is a pressing issue, particularly due to the dynamic development of information technologies and their impact on the younger generation. Central Asian countries must respond promptly to regulatory challenges in this domain, as it requires a unique approach different from other areas of international relations, given that children are integrating into the internet environment from an early age.

The goal of this paper is to assess the regulatory framework for protecting minors' digital rights in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, and to identify key factors influencing the protection of children's rights in the online environment. The study's findings will offer insights into the current state of legislation in Central Asian countries and propose ways to enhance and adapt these laws to the daily evolution of digital and information technologies, significantly contributing to the effective legal protection of minors' digital rights.