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Safety by Design: Why safety on the web is still under construction—and what seatbelts and safety locks do better

Be it in the car, in the kitchen or in the garden—safety features are a part of everyday products that we simply take for granted. Car seatbelts, child safety locks on pruning shears or overload protectors on electrical appliances are standards that protect everyone’s safety. We notice the advantages immediately: fewer accidents, more trust, a true feeling of security.

Digital platforms are a different story. In spite of all the apps and options for interaction, there is still no real “safety by design”: settings for parental control or personal privacy are often hard to find, confusing or not really effective. Platforms often prefer to omit comprehensive safety measures completely—especially those for children and young people. And if they do include them, they are more likely to take the form of later updates or options that are left up to the users themselves.

Today, airbags in cars are simply a given. Imagine if platforms in the digital world also provided integrated safety functions from the very beginning that protected users from online aggression, abuse or malinformation. This would result in a safety concept that would protect everyone better—regardless of who is online or how much experience someone has with digital tools.