About the data
The WBA Digital Inclusion Benchmark measures and ranks the world's most influential companies on their efforts to advance digital inclusion, tracking how companies are expanding access to digital technologies, improving digital skills and literacy, and ensuring safe and inclusive digital environments for all. The 2026 edition assessed 200 companies across key sectors of the digital economy including telecommunications, software, hardware, and digital platforms. The benchmark is developed in close collaboration with an Expert Review Committee and partners including GRI, ITU, and the Alliance for Affordable Internet, with a methodology designed to incentivise companies to understand where digital exclusion risks are highest and act to bridge the digital divide, while keeping human rights and social impacts at its core.
More information can be found here.
More information can be found here.
Methodology
The rights of every child must be respected, protected and fulfilled in the digital environment, as set out in General Comment 25 by the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child. Globally, over 1 in 3 Internet users is a child, and yet, according to the UN International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), children are at heightened risk of exploitation, data breaches and privacy violations online.
As more children engage with digital technologies, they face specific risks, including exposure to harmful content, cyberbullying and the potential misuse of personal data. Companies that offer digital services, whether directly or through their value chains, must take an approach integrating safety-by- design and privacy-by-design to protect these vulnerable users by, for example, establishing robust policies, conducting risk assessments and ensuring transparent data handling practices.
Research Guidance:
This element assesses whether the company has recognised its responsibility to respect and promote child rights, in line with international frameworks, and made this responsibility visible in a senior-level approved statement.
The company must provide a publicly available statementapplicable at group levelthat1)refersspecifically to the rights of childrenin the digital environment, not just generic userprotectionsor data privacy, 2)is informed by international/regional/national instruments,frameworksand/or standards.
The term ‚Äòstatement‚ is used to describe a wide range of forms a company may use to set out publicly its responsibilities,commitmentsand expectations. This may be a separate policy or commitments within other formal policies, or provisions within other documents that govern the company‚s approach, such as a company code, business principles, governance statements, human rightspolicyor risk assessment framework, etc.
A standalone child rights policy is notrequired— the commitment may be embedded in broader policies (e.g. human rights, ethics, governance) if it explicitly refers to protecting child rights in the digital environment.
As more children engage with digital technologies, they face specific risks, including exposure to harmful content, cyberbullying and the potential misuse of personal data. Companies that offer digital services, whether directly or through their value chains, must take an approach integrating safety-by- design and privacy-by-design to protect these vulnerable users by, for example, establishing robust policies, conducting risk assessments and ensuring transparent data handling practices.
Research Guidance:
This element assesses whether the company has recognised its responsibility to respect and promote child rights, in line with international frameworks, and made this responsibility visible in a senior-level approved statement.
The company must provide a publicly available statementapplicable at group levelthat1)refersspecifically to the rights of childrenin the digital environment, not just generic userprotectionsor data privacy, 2)is informed by international/regional/national instruments,frameworksand/or standards.
The term ‚Äòstatement‚ is used to describe a wide range of forms a company may use to set out publicly its responsibilities,commitmentsand expectations. This may be a separate policy or commitments within other formal policies, or provisions within other documents that govern the company‚s approach, such as a company code, business principles, governance statements, human rightspolicyor risk assessment framework, etc.
A standalone child rights policy is notrequired— the commitment may be embedded in broader policies (e.g. human rights, ethics, governance) if it explicitly refers to protecting child rights in the digital environment.
License
Topics
Framework Mappings
Value Type
Category
Options
Yes
No
Not Applicable
Assessment
Steward Assessed
Report Type
Aggregate Data Report