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:
The companyprovidesa grievance mechanism that allows stakeholders,including children, their families, or their representatives-toraise andreport concerns,complaintsor grievances about the impact of the company‚s operations or activities on the rightsor wellbeing of childrenthe digital environment.The companyhasaccessible, child-sensitive, and effective channel(s)/mechanism(s) e.g. a webpage, phoneline, online portal, or by mail or email, or a combination, etc.) for raising complaints related to how its digital platforms, products, or services mayimpactchildren‚s rights.
The company mustdemonstratethatthegrievance mechanism thatisdesigned to handle concerns related to children‚s digital rights, such as: online safety or wellbeing, privacy violations or intrusive data collection, exploitative content or commercial targeting, freedom of expression or opinion in digital spaces. The mechanism may be standalone or integrated into a broader human rights or ethics channel, provided that child-specific issues are explicitly included in its scope.The grievance mechanism can come from a 3rdparty, but it must be clear that the company partners with them.
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:
The companyprovidesa grievance mechanism that allows stakeholders,including children, their families, or their representatives-toraise andreport concerns,complaintsor grievances about the impact of the company‚s operations or activities on the rightsor wellbeing of childrenthe digital environment.The companyhasaccessible, child-sensitive, and effective channel(s)/mechanism(s) e.g. a webpage, phoneline, online portal, or by mail or email, or a combination, etc.) for raising complaints related to how its digital platforms, products, or services mayimpactchildren‚s rights.
The company mustdemonstratethatthegrievance mechanism thatisdesigned to handle concerns related to children‚s digital rights, such as: online safety or wellbeing, privacy violations or intrusive data collection, exploitative content or commercial targeting, freedom of expression or opinion in digital spaces. The mechanism may be standalone or integrated into a broader human rights or ethics channel, provided that child-specific issues are explicitly included in its scope.The grievance mechanism can come from a 3rdparty, but it must be clear that the company partners with them.
License
Topics
Framework Mappings
Value Type
Category
Options
Yes
No
Not Applicable
Assessment
Steward Assessed
Report Type
Aggregate Data Report