The Intervention Journey A Roadmap to Effective Digital Safety Measures 2025

The implementation of an intervention is a journey that must be mapped to identify and address the challenges and risks that could arise at each stage of its development and deployment. By mapping the journey, valuable lessons can be learned to help anticipate obstacles such as technical limitations, resource constraints or user adoption issues. This proactive and preventive strategy, actioned at every stage of the journey, follows the principles of Safety by Design. This comprehensive approach not only ensures the intervention’s effectiveness but also aids in refining and adapting it to meet evolving demands. Additionally, the mapping ensures that both short- and long-term considerations are woven into the decision-making process. The intervention journey should be seen not as a linear process but as a series of key considerations that guide the development of interventions. The process is often – and sometimes should be – iterative. These steps in the journey are not exhaustive checklists but rather broad stages that include example considerations to help inform decision-making. Intervention journey steps FIGURE 1 Implementation Identification Design Feedback, measurement and transparency It is necessary to identify risk factors specific to an organization, including characteristics such as service functionalities, user base and business models that can contribute to potential harm. Since there is no one-size-fits-all approach to managing risk, different risk categories may be more relevant to certain types of platforms or services (e.g. social media platforms versus dating apps) or in specific geographic regions. Risk factors cannot be assessed in isolation, as the level of risk may be affected by the cumulative impact of multiple risk factors. Knowing and understanding why certain risk factors exist can help in prioritizing risks. The identification and mitigation of digital safety risks should be achieved through comprehensive risk assessments. The coalition’s report, Digital Safety Risk Assessment in Action: A Framework and Bank of Case Studies, introduces a risk assessment framework designed to guide this process, as outlined in Figure 2.1.1 Identification The Intervention Journey: A Roadmap to Effective Digital Safety Measures 7