How much do you know about your child's digital world?

One of the most pressing issues of our time is undoubtedly related to the extent of digital technology use and our children's activities in the online environment.

Children, adolescents, and digital technology – this was the title of a working breakfast organized by the Institute for Politics and Societyon January 27 at the Art Nouveau Hotel Palace in Prague, where representatives of various organizations discussed topics related to the use of digital technologies by one ofthe most sensitive target groups – children and adolescents.

Although we operate primarily in the B2B sector and our services are aimed primarily at businesses and organizations, the topics of digitization, cyberspace, and modern technologies are very close to our hearts, especiallyin relation to children. Not only from a professional point of view, but also, as you can probably guess, from a human one. Most of us are also parents of a generation of children who are growing up in the digital age and facing the same problems as the generation before them, but also entirely new ones.

New times, new challenges

And there are a whole host of issues to discuss. From the amount of time spent in front of screens, addictions, meaningful use of tools, restricting the use of apps, to a range of dangers from misuse of personal data to cyberbullying.

All of this was the subject of an open discussion, to which both the audience and the panelists—or, in this case, panelists—responded. The representation was diverse – invitations were accepted by MP Barbora Rázga, Julia Schvarcová from Google, Mgr. Adéla Lábusová from the Jules and Jim organization, which focuses on cyber prevention, among other things, and psychologist Adéla Švestková (Faculty of Social Studies, Masaryk University) representing the academic sphere.

The importance of prevention and the complexity of the issue

The entire event focused primarily on prevention as an important tool and factor in avoiding problems. The panelists agreed, for example, on regulations, in the sense that the legal framework is sufficient, but its application and enforcement are more problematic. In other words, we do not need further regulations or the creation of additional materials or methodologies—on the contrary, there is already an abundance of everything. In this context, information sources were discussed from the perspective of parents, educational institutions, and teachers, as well as work with children themselves, and of course, the issue of financing could not be ignored.

Restrictions and limitations are not the way forward

As in the imaginary analogy with prohibition, which statistically helped only in the short term, it was said that reckless restrictions are not the way forward and that everything needs to be considered in a broader context. This applied not only to opinions on, for example, the proposed blanket ban on cell phones in schools (with references to examples from abroad), but also to the use of various applications in general and, last but not least, generative AI, where this is a major issue. It was also said that we are living in another technological revolution and we do not need to fight it, but learn to use the tools meaningfully.

School vs. parents

If we were to summarize everything, we have a lot of work ahead of us on all fronts.

In education, we would welcome a greater emphasis on teaching digital technologies, cyber security, and conscious behavior in the online space, as there are huge differences between reality and the curriculum. In this context, there was also a need to help teachers themselves, to further educate them in this area and help them keep pace with current developments.

Parents place great emphasis on showing interest in and understanding their children. There are many tools that can be used to restrict or control, but we believe that the most important thing is to understand what children are looking for on the internet, what their interests are, and, above all, to talk to them about these things—rather than resorting to bans and restrictions. Survey results show that virtual avatars and activity on various platforms and networks can tell us a lot about their behavior. Let's not forget that as parents, we are also role models, and if children see us with our phones in our hands nonstop, we cannot ask them to do otherwise. Our role is primarily to be their support and a good guide, to lead them to independence so that they can find their way in the world of the future.

And how do children themselves feel about this, so that it is not about them without them? With Generation Z, on the contrary, we often encounter oversaturation with the online environment and a need to seek real experiences, connections, knowledge, and efforts to turn away from the online world. Learning through play still works, and now we have a whole spectrum of new interactive possibilities. Let's make use of them.

And if there is one message to be conveyed in conclusion... let us pause, reflect, and return to what is the most valuable commodity – namely, giving our children our attention and time above all else.