Baroness Joanna Shields OBE, Founder of the WeProtect Global Alliance, on Tackling Online Child Exploitation and Building a Safer Digital World for the Next Generation
- Admin
- Mar 30
- 3 min read
Updated: Mar 31

In this powerful and urgent conversation, Baroness Joanna Shields offers a compelling account of her work founding and leading the WeProtect Global Alliance—a coalition of over 100 governments and 320 organisations uniting to combat the growing threat of online child sexual abuse and exploitation. A former tech executive and government minister, she bridges sectors to drive systemic change, confronting one of the most complex challenges of our time.
She reflects on the Alliance’s origins a decade ago, when the international community was still reluctant to acknowledge the prevalence of online predators and child exploitation. Since then, WeProtect has pushed the issue onto the global policy agenda, created a model national response framework, and developed comprehensive threat assessments that inform governments worldwide. Yet despite progress, the scale and severity of online harms remain staggering, and Baroness Shields warns of a worsening crisis if action stalls.
At the heart of the problem lies a lack of cohesive age assurance infrastructure across the internet. Unlike in the physical world—where age restrictions govern access to alcohol, voting, or driving—digital spaces remain largely unregulated. This regulatory vacuum leaves children vulnerable to harmful content and predatory behaviour. She argues that responsibility cannot rest solely on parents, who are often overwhelmed and ill-equipped to navigate the evolving digital landscape. Instead, the tech industry must lead with shared standards, particularly through the adoption of a universal, privacy-respecting age signal that follows a child across platforms.
The conversation explores the tension between safety and free expression. In this context, Baroness Shields sees age assurance as a pragmatic solution that empowers families and safeguards children without compromising the broader architecture of the open internet.
Artificial intelligence emerges as both a promising tool and a dangerous vector. AI can be deployed to detect grooming behaviour and prevent exploitation. But it also enables new forms of abuse—like AI-generated sexual imagery and manipulative chatbots targeting minors.
Throughout the episode, Baroness Shields remains clear-eyed about the challenge but anchored in optimism. She believes in the transformative potential of technology—if it is shaped by common sense, accountability, and a commitment to protecting the most vulnerable. Her call is for an alliance of the willing—governments, tech leaders, civil society—to coalesce around a shared digital future where children are empowered to thrive, not endangered by design.
About Baroness Joanna Shields OBE
Baroness Joanna Shields OBE is a technology industry veteran and the founder of WeProtect Global Alliance.
She served as the UK’s first Minister for Internet Safety & Security & UK Ambassador for Digital Industries and Digital Economy Adviser to the Prime Minister. A life peer in the House of Lords, she champions policies that protect children online and advance ethical AI development.
With over three decades of leadership experience in the tech industry, Shields has built companies, products, and platforms that have transformed markets and reshaped industries. She held senior executive roles at Facebook, Google, AOL, and RealNetworks.
As a CEO, she led Bebo and Veon to successful acquisitions and transformed BenevolentAI into a leader in AI-driven drug discovery.
Today, as the founder of Precognition, she advises governments and companies on creating AI-driven solutions that prioritise safety, human agency and empowerment. Shields serves on the World Economic Forum's Global Future Council on AI and the Transatlantic Commission on Election Integrity and was twice elected Co-Chair of the Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence.