STATE POLICY OF CHILD PROTECTION IN CYBERSPACE AS A PRIORITY OF HUMAN SECURITY: A RETROSPECTIVE OF FORMATION

Abstract

The article is devoted to researching the retrospective of the formation of state policy for the protection of children in cyberspace as a key component of Ukraine's humanitarian security. The author proceeds from the assumption that it is the humanitarian paradigm that allows us to see the long-term socio-psychological consequences of digital threats and to form proactive management decisions capable of ensuring a safe digital childhood in a situation of war, mass migration and saturation of the information space with manipulative content. The author examines the international legal and European standards that have formed the methodological framework of contemporary policy: the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child with General Comment No. 25, the Lanzarote and Budapest Conventions, and the BIK+ Strategy, which enshrines the principle of 'safety by default' and combines preventive, educational and restorative mechanisms. It shows how the evolution of these documents has shifted the focus from combating child pornography to comprehensive protection of personal data, algorithmic discrimination and digital well-being. National dynamics are analysed: from isolated campaigns in the early 2000s to the integrated system established by the Law 'On the Basic Principles of Ensuring Cybersecurity' and the Cybersecurity Strategy 2021. Achievements are highlighted - the creation of a cyber police force, the launch of the Safer Internet UA platform, school courses on cyber hygiene, and a network of CERT units - and challenges are identified, such as lack of funding, fragmentation of services, and delays in the adoption of a special law on the protection of children online. The experience of Germany, France, the Netherlands, Lithuania, and the United Kingdom has been summarised, confirming the advantages of models with an independent regulator, age verification, and algorithm auditing. Guidelines for Ukraine have been formulated: codification of the 'digital childhood' doctrine, launch of a strong regulator, development of a psychological support network, use of artificial intelligence for early risk detection, and introduction of clear performance indicators that will allow for flexible policy adjustments in line with technological changes.