Digital Child Labour Emerging as Hidden Challenge in Nepal

When people hear the term child labour, many still imagine children working in brick kilns, hotels, restaurants or on the streets. But with the rapid expansion of technology, the form of child labour is also changing. Digital child labour carried out from inside the home through mobile phones, the internet and social media is now emerging as a new and less visible challenge. In recent years, with the growing popularity of YouTube, TikTok, Facebook and other platforms, children are increasingly being made to regularly create videos, post content, join live broadcasts and take part in activities aimed at increasing likes and views. In some families, children’s daily routines have become centered on content creation. This can affect their time for study, play and rest. In many cases, even though children are the main attraction of the content, the planning, control and financial benefit are handled by parents or other family members, raising questions over whether children are being encouraged creatively or used for digital labour for economic gain.

Digital child labour is not limited to social media. In some cases, children are also made to do small tasks related to online business, mobile data management, order tracking and other regular technology-based responsibilities. Such work may look like simple help at first, but when it becomes compulsory, regular and time-consuming, it can take the form of child labour. Nepal’s existing child labour laws mainly focus on traditional labour sectors, so activities carried out through digital platforms are not clearly addressed. As a result, much of digital child labour remains outside formal data and monitoring systems. Experts say technology should not be stopped, but children’s rights, education, privacy and mental development must be given priority. Children’s participation should be for learning and creativity, not for economic production or continuous labour. In the changing digital era, the idea of remote or digital child labour shows that child labour must be understood not only as physical work, but also as an invisible and technology-based form. Parents, schools, policymakers and media need to raise awareness and work toward necessary legal and policy reforms.