IGF 2025 Day 0 Event #50 Awareness to Action: Enhancing kids' digital competences

As digital engagement among children increases, so do the risks of misinformation, cyberbullying, online grooming, and exposure to harmful content. Despite growing concerns, digital literacy and digital citizenship education remain insufficient in addressing these challenges. This session will explore these issues, providing insights into how education, policy, and cross-sector collaboration can help protect young users online. To fully grasp the challenges children face in the digital world, it is important to consider how online engagement has evolved. The digital world was not originally designed for children (UNCRC General Comment 25, 2021), yet research from EU Kids Online (2020) shows that children are using digital devices at an increasingly young age. As screen time and social media exposure rise, concerns about online safety grow. According to Ofcom (2023), 79% of children aged 3-17 communicate online, and worryingly, one-third of 8-17-year-olds trust most of the content they encounter on social media. Given these trends, it is crucial to examine the risks children face online. Research highlights that cyberbullying affects 15% of teenagers (WHO, 2023), while cases of child sexual exploitation online have surged by 66% (Internet Watch Foundation, 2024). Furthermore, many young people lack the cognitive maturity to critically assess digital content, leaving them particularly vulnerable to misinformation, manipulative design, and online harms. These findings underscore the urgent need for targeted educational and policy interventions. In response to these risks, several European initiatives aim to equip children with the skills they need to navigate digital spaces safely. The European Strategy for a Better Internet for Kids (BIK+), in alignment with the European Declaration on Digital Rights and Principles, emphasizes the importance of developing critical digital skills among children. These frameworks advocate for a digital environment that is safe, inclusive, and empowering, ensuring that all children have access to reliable information and digital literacy education. Session Overview This session will bring together representatives from European Safer Internet Centres (SICs) in Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Malta, and Poland to discuss the key challenges facing children online. The panellists will also share proven strategies and best practices that foster digital resilience among young people. Key Discussion Areas To provide a comprehensive perspective, the discussion will focus on four key areas: 1. Strengthening critical thinking and disinformation awareness among young users, ensuring they can assess online content effectively. 2. Addressing cyberbullying and harmful online interactions through structured digital literacy efforts that support both children and educators. 3. Promoting youth-led initiatives and participatory approaches to online safety, recognizing the importance of young people’s voices in shaping digital policies. 4. Enhancing multi-stakeholder collaboration by bringing together policymakers, educators, platforms, and civil society organizations to implement scalable solutions. Complementary to this, a group of Norwegian youth participants will share their views, a first-hand perspective, experiences and challenges of being online as a teen today. Moreover, the young people are part of the Norwegian SIC's youth panel and will share more about their collaboration SIC and how young people can get actively involved and become agents of change to create a better internet for all. The session will conclude with an interactive Q&A session, where participants will have the opportunity to exchange ideas and propose concrete steps toward integrating digital citizenship education into policy frameworks. This discussion will encourage a collaborative approach, enabling stakeholders to share insights and identify practical solutions. Alignment with IGF 2025 and the Global Digital Compact This session is directly aligned with the IGF 2025 sub-theme "Building Digital Trust and Resilience", as it addresses critical issues such as child safety, media literacy, and information integrity. Furthermore, it supports Objective 1 of the Global Digital Compact, which focuses on closing digital divides by fostering essential digital skills. By bringing together experts from Safer Internet Centres, the discussion will highlight policy and education solutions that can: - Strengthen digital resilience among young people, ensuring they can navigate online spaces safely. - Combat online risks through structured education and awareness-raising efforts. - Promote responsible digital citizenship by fostering collaboration between key stakeholders. References: A European strategy for a better internet for kids (BIK+): https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/policies/strategy-better-inter… Safer Internet Centres network: https://better-internet-for-kids.europa.eu/en/sic Declaration on European Digital Rights and Principles: https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/library/declaration-european-d… European Year of Digital Citizenship Education: https://www.coe.int/en/web/education/european-year-of-digital-citizensh… Measuring the Information Society Report, ITU, 2018: https://www.itu.int/pub/D-IND-ICTOI-2018 General comment No. 25 (2021) on children’s rights in relation to the digital environment: https://www.ohchr.org/en/documents/general-comments-and-recommendations… The Global Digital Compact: https://docstore.ohchr.org/SelfServices/FilesHandler.ashx?enc=VroUkwMJa…

One onsite moderator and one online moderator will jointly host the session. The online moderator will attend the workshop in person, enabling more effective and seamless communication with the onsite moderator. This setup will help bridge the gap between attendees (both online and onsite) and speakers by relaying questions and comments in real time, responding instantly to general audience inquiries, and ensuring that all comments receive prompt replies. In addition to providing an introduction to the workshop, the onsite moderator will manage audience questions and keep track of time throughout the session. Speakers’ interventions may be supported by a short slide deck to make discussions more accessible and easier to follow. A few minutes will also be allocated for a Q&A session. The onsite and online moderators will facilitate the Q&A, ensuring that questions from both onsite and online participants are equally considered. The workshop will be accompanied by a dedicated hashtag on social media platforms. Participants will be encouraged to use the hashtag to share feedback with the wider IGF community and engage in further discussions on the topic. Additionally, organizers may incorporate interactive tools (e.g., Mentimeter) to enhance participation in the session.