LCH Masterclass | International Law and the Governance of the Internet: Youth Engagement and the Development of Global Digital Norms

Lodz Cyber Hub invites you to a Masterclass with Dr Natálie Terčová, focusing on how international law conceptualizes the position of young people in the digital environment: not only as subjects of protection, but primarily as rights holders, including the right to access online content, participate in shaping the norms that govern them, and exercise freedom of expression.

Why attend?
The lecture introduces a key distinction between risk and harm and poses a question rarely addressed in public debate: what does it mean for digital policy that most young users encounter potentially harmful content online, yet only some experience negative consequences?

We will explore why age-based restrictions and platform bans, though motivated by safety concerns, may not adequately reflect the complexity of young people’s digital experiences, and what a more targeted, evidence-based, and human rights–compliant regulatory approach might look like.

About the speaker
Dr Natálie Terčová is a Czech researcher specializing in the role of internet users in the governance of emerging technologies and the impact of digital technologies on user experience. Her interdisciplinary background combines empirical research, user perspectives, and digital policy. She has conducted research on online safety, digital literacy, and child sexual abuse material (CSAM), as well as the broader relationship between online risk and its consequences.

Dr Terčová is actively engaged in internet governance processes at both European and global levels. She serves as the European representative on the At-Large Advisory Committee (ALAC) of ICANN and its leadership team (ALT), and chairs IGF Czechia.

This Masterclass is part of the ongoing Lodz Cyber Hub Masterclass series, which brings leading practitioners and researchers to Lodz to strengthen knowledge of international law, cybersecurity, and internet governance among students and early-career researchers.

This event is supported by the EURALO Community Regional Outreach Program (CROP).