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However, children\u2019s own transgressive behaviour can test the boundaries of this protection regime, creating new dilemmas for lawmakers the world over. This article examines the policy response from both the Global North and South to young people\u2019s online behaviour that may challenge adult conceptions of what is acceptable, within existing legal and policy frameworks. It asks whether the \u2018childhood innocence\u2019 implied in much protection discourse is a helpful basis for promoting children\u2019s rights in the digital age. Based on a comparative analysis of the emerging policy trends in Europe, South Africa and the United States, the article assesses the implications for policymakers and child welfare specialists as they attempt to redraw the balance between children\u2019s online safety while supporting their agency as digital citizens. <\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1177\/1461444816686325","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2017,1,18]],"date-time":"2017-01-18T09:46:48Z","timestamp":1484732808000},"page":"750-764","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/sage-journals-update-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":35,"title":["Where policy and practice collide: Comparing United States, South African and European Union approaches to protecting children online"],"prefix":"10.1177","volume":"19","author":[{"given":"Monica","family":"Bulger","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Data & Society Research Institute, USA"}]},{"given":"Patrick","family":"Burton","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Centre for Justice and Crime Prevention, South Africa"}]},{"given":"Brian","family":"O\u2019Neill","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Dublin Institute of Technology, UK"}]},{"given":"Elisabeth","family":"Staksrud","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"University of Oslo, Norway"}]}],"member":"179","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2017,1,16]]},"reference":[{"key":"bibr1-1461444816686325","volume-title":"Legal responses to cyberbullying and sexting in South Africa","author":"Badenhorst C","year":"2011"},{"key":"bibr2-1461444816686325","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/0907568210364421"},{"key":"bibr3-1461444816686325","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1080\/17482798.2014.893756"},{"key":"bibr4-1461444816686325","unstructured":"Chronaki D (2013) Young People\u2019s Accounts of their Experiences with Mediated Sexual Content during Childhood and Teenage Life. 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