On the occasion of World Teachers’ Day, Education and Youth ministers from the ALDE Party liberal political family stated:
“Teachers play an indispensable role in preparing the next generation of free thinkers, but we must address the urgent digital challenges facing children in our schools. The internet provides essential opportunities for learning and fulfilment, but it also exposes students to risks that can affect their physical and mental health.”
- Protect children from attention-grabbing algorithms
- The influence of social media use among youth poses a pressing health and mental health issue, linked to bullying and cyberbullying, eating disorders and harmful self-image. Globally, 1 in 5 young people report skipping school because of cyberbullying.
- Manipulative digital services are deliberately designed to keep users engaged for as long as possible, raising serious concerns about addiction and long-term effects on physical and mental health, notably on children and teenagers.
- Schools must be shielded from these harms. We support national measures in more and more EU countries, including Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Slovenia and Sweden, to restrict or prohibit mobiles and smartphones during school hours, some including breaks or with exceptions for educational purposes or medical needs.
- Beyond schooltime, we need mandatory legal requirements for age verification, a ban on harmful and addictive practices targeting minors, and stronger enforcement of existing regulations, such as the Digital Services Act (DSA). The successful withdrawal of the TikTok Lite app proves that platforms can be held accountable for addictive design.
2. Enhance teachers’ and pupils’ digital skills for the future
- Children need an education that prepares them for a digital future. Technology and internet in schools must serve as tools for learning, creating and exploring, not distraction.
- Enhancing the digital skills of students and teachers in public education is key. We must integrate media literacy, coding and other digital skills in European national curriculums.
- We must empower children to make safe and informed choices online and provide teachers with the necessary tools to combat online harm. Initiatives such as the Webwise initiative in Ireland, which assists teachers in providing instruction on online safety, should be expanded. Local and regional authorities should continue organising workshops on the educational use of mobile devices to assist schools in regulating their use effectively.
Christoph Wiederkehr - Minister of Education (NEOS, Austria)
Valérie Glatigny - First Vice-President, Minister of Education and Further Education of Wallonia-Brussels (MR, Belgium)
Anders Adlercreutz - Minister of Education (SFP, Finland)
Claude Meisch - Minister of Education, Childhood and Youth, Housing and Territorial Development (DP, Luxembourg)
Dr. Vinko Logaj - Minister of Education (Gibanje Svoboda, Slovenia)