Getting started

Things to do

Things to avoid

Things to check

Check out the 15 standards of the Children’s code:

This design guidance focuses on transparency. It’s a key part of the Children’s code and touches on many design challenges in the standards.

You should also familiarise yourself with the other standards in the code to understand what else your organisation needs to do to conform.

The Children’s code - the full code

Bring your teams together to plan how to conform to the code

The Children’s code falls under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). You should collaborate with people in your organisation such as your data protection officers. They already work on how your organisation complies with data protection law.

You should consider how your use of children’s data either poses risks or supports their rights. You need to ensure you ultimately act in their best interests.

The ICO created a self-assessment to help organisations:

• explore the rights children hold under the code;
• identify ways in which data use can risk or support them; and
• understand related good practice recommendations within the code.

Best interests self-assessment

Embed code standards in your design process

You must consider the standards and children’s best interests at key moments in the design process to create products that conform with the code. Document important design decisions throughout to show you are meeting the standards.

Don’t think of these standards as just legal issues

Don’t just rely on legal or compliance teams to meet the standards in your online service.

Designers should see these standards as creative opportunities to design engaging online experiences that put children’s best interests at the heart.

Don’t leave the code to the end

Think about the standards in the code at the earliest possible stage in your design process. This ensures you design products and services in children’s best interests and protect their information rights.

• Is your organisation aware of the Children’s code standards?
• Has your organisation identified how your service supports children’s best interests or exposes them to risk because of how you use their data?
• Does your organisation have a data protection impact assessment?
• Is your organisation aware of the Children’s code standards?
• Has your organisation identified how your service supports children’s best interests or exposes them to risk because of how you use their data?
• Does your organisation have a data protection impact assessment?

Bring children's views into the design process

This section outlines the importance of involving children in the design process so that your service meets their needs and has their best interests at heart.

Meet children’s needs as they change over time

This section outlines how to design privacy information that meets children’s needs as they grow and develop.