PROTECTION OF CHILDREN'S RIGHTS IN THE ERA OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: LEGAL CHALLENGES AND REGULATORY PROSPECTS IN THE REPUBLIC OF KAZAKHSTAN

Abstract

The article examines the legal aspects of child rights protection in the context of rapid development of artificial intelligence technologies. The legal foundations of minors' status in the legislation of the Republic of Kazakhstan are analyzed, including issues of legal capacity, capacity to act, and subjective rights of the child. Institutional mechanisms for protecting children's rights are considered: judicial protection, activities of the Commissioner for Children's Rights, international monitoring mechanisms.

Special attention is paid to the legal challenges of the digital era: problems of collecting and processing personal data of minors, algorithmic discrimination, targeted advertising. A comparative analysis of international standards for children's data protection (GDPR, Convention 108+, EU AI Act) with Kazakhstan's national legislation is conducted. The new Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan «On Artificial Intelligence» dated November 17, 2025 and its provisions on protecting vulnerable groups are examined.

Proposals are formulated to improve the legal regulation of children's rights protection in the digital environment, taking into account the recommendations of General Comment No. 25 of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child.

Keywords: children's rights, artificial intelligence, personal data, digital rights, minors, legal protection, GDPR, Convention on the Rights of the Child, AI Act.