Tech This Out!

Games are no longer just games. They are places where children meet friends, follow creators, show off what they’ve made, and spend their money. But who is really in control of the fun? In this episode of Tech This Out!, 5Rights Host, Haydn, sits down with Professor Sara Grimes, founder and director of the Kids Play Tech Lab at McGill University, to explore how today’s games are designed to keep children playing and playing. Together, they look at missing pause buttons, battle passes and limited-time rewards, discussing clever workarounds children have invented to play safely with friends and what a game built around children’s rights could look like. 

This podcast is brought to you by the 5Rights Foundation, the pioneering global organisation working with and for children for better tech. Visit our website to learn more about our work. 

Outrage travels faster than kindness ever could. That’s because online platforms are built to keep users scrolling, no matter the cost to young people. But what if tech companies picked up the tab for once? 

In the Season 2 opener of Tech This Out!, 5Rights Host, Rhythm, sits down with Glenn Micallef, the EU Commissioner for Intergenerational Fairness, Youth, Culture and Sport, to unpack what the online world should actually look like for young people and why it shouldn’t fall on them to stay endlessly vigilant just to offset choices that tech companies make for profit. 

Together, they explore what meaningful youth participation in EU policymaking looks like and why every policy area, including digital policy, must be built for generations to come. 

This podcast is brought to you by the 5Rights Foundation, the pioneering global organisation working with and for children for better tech. Visit our website to learn more about our work. 

It started with half a sentence in a policy document. It grew into landmark legislation that changed the internet for millions of children. In the Season 1 finale of Tech This Out!, 5Rights Youth Ambassador Nidhi sits down with Dr. Amani Abou-Zeid, former African Union Commissioner for Infrastructure and Energy, and Baroness Beeban Kidron, member of the UK House of Lords and Founder of 5Rights Foundation to look back on years of advocacy, hard-won progress, and what comes next.

From the Age-Appropriate Design Code in the UK to the African Union Child Online Safety and Empowerment Policy, real change has been madeWhat did it take to move governments, institutions, and industry? And with AI evolving faster than any regulation can keep up, what happens next?

Together, they reflect on the breakthroughs and the battles, share what they've learned from young people, and make the case that protecting children online isn’t a niche cause – it’s the defining issue of our time.

This podcast is brought to you by the 5Rights Foundation, the pioneering global organisation working with and for children for better tech. Visit our website to learn more about our work.

Something surprising is happening in the world’s most expensive schools and it has nothing to do with technology. In this episode, 5Rights Youth Ambassador Mithesh sits down with Mark West from UNESCO to challenge what we think we know about tech in schools and ask whether EdTech is living up to its promises or leaving students behind. Together, they unpack why human connection can’t be coded and what it would take to design a digital future for schools that actually puts children and young people first.  

This podcast is brought to you by the 5Rights Foundation, the pioneering global organisation working with and for children for better tech. Visit our website to learn more about our work. 

When students sit an exam remotely or even buy a candy bar at a vending machine during a break, their information is collected, tracked and often used in ways they never agreed to. In this episode, 5Rights Youth Ambassador Maximilian sits down with Patricia Kosseim, Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario (Canada), to uncover what really happens to student data behind the scenes. Together, they explore how EdTech companies profit from children’s information, the deceptive design practices that make it hard to say no and how regulators and schools can take the next step to protect student privacy.  

This podcast is brought to you by the 5Rights Foundation, the pioneering global organisation working with and for children for better tech. Visit our website to learn more about our work. 

Ready to learn more about student privacy? Find below the resources and tools mentioned in the episode: 

For even more guidance for children, students, educators and parents, including the Info Matters podcast, please visit the IPC website.  

From the classroom to government services, artificial intelligence is quietly reshaping how children learn, play, and grow but who gets to decide how? In this final episode of our AI trilogy, 5Rights Youth Ambassador Skye interviews UN Under-Secretary-General and Special Envoy for Digital and Emerging Technologies Amandeep Singh Gill to explore the urgent need for global AI governance that puts children’s rights first. Together, they unpack why most national AI strategies barely consider children’s rights and needs, how tech companies can be held accountable across borders and why the voices of children from the Global South must be central to shaping AI’s future. Discover what it really takes to ensure AI serves all children and not just the privileged few. 

This podcast is brought to you by the 5Rights Foundation, the only global organisation working with and for children for better tech. 

TRIGGER WARNING: This episode discusses issues of mental health and loneliness. If you are affected by any of these issues, please seek support from a trusted adult or licensed professional. Here is a list of child-friendly helplines: https://childhelplineinternational.org/helplines/ 

From homework helper to creative companion, AI is already woven into young people's daily lives in ways we're only beginning to understand. But as this powerful technology becomes invisible and everywhere, what does it mean for how children learn, create, and connect? In this month's episode, 5Rights Youth Ambassador Aisling sits down with Dr. Jun Zhao from Oxford University's Child-Centred AI Design Lab to explore both the promise and the pitfalls of growing up with artificial intelligence. Together, they examine the concerning risks of over-reliance, manipulation, and surveillance that children face in our data-driven world—while also exploring how AI can spark creativity and support learning when used thoughtfully. 

This podcast is brought to you by the 5Rights Foundation, the only global organisation working with and for children for better tech. 

TRIGGER WARNING: This episode discusses issues of mental health, loneliness and eating disorders. If you are affected by any of these issues, please seek support from a trusted adult or licensed professional. Here is a list of child-friendly helplines: https://childhelplineinternational.org/helplines/  

AI chatbots promise 24/7 support without judgement – but can they ever truly replace a friend or a therapist? In this month’s episode, 5Rights Youth Ambassador, Ali, sits down with Mie Oehlenschläger - a member of the Danish Council on Ethics and President of 5Rights - EU – to unpack the design and data choices behind AI chatbots. Together, they explore why chatbots feel so real, the hidden risks on children’s mental health and privacy, and practical questions young people can ask themselves before interacting with a chatbot. 

This podcast is brought to you by the 5Rights Foundation, the only global organisation working with and for children for better tech. 

In Part 2 of our conversation with Prof. Shoshana Zuboff, 5Rights Youth Ambassador Srishti explores the deeper dangers of surveillance capitalism. From the loss of privacy to growing threats to democracy, we unpack how children and young people are caught in a system designed to track, manipulate and control. 

What’s the way forward? Tune in for advice on reclaiming agency in the digital world. 

This podcast is brought to you by the 5Rights Foundation, the only global organisation working with and for children for better tech. 

Every click, search, and scroll—who’s tracking it, and why? In this episode, 5Rights Youth Ambassador Srishti speaks with Prof. Shoshana Zuboff, author of The Age of Surveillance Capitalism, to uncover how tech companies like Google and Meta harvest young people’s data, manipulate our behaviour, and turn childhood into a marketplace. 

This is Part 1 of Srishti’s conversation with Prof. Zuboff — stay tuned for more in the next episode. 

This podcast is brought to you by the 5Rights Foundation, the only global organisation working with and for children for better tech. Visit our website to learn more about our work: 5rightsfoundation.com