How to communicate with children today, when digital technologies fully capture their attention and online reality becomes their norm? This pressing issue was the focus of an international event organized by UNESCO in cooperation with the Center for Media and Information Literacy (CLEMI). Olha Herasymiuk, Chair of the National Council, took part in this global initiative during her working visit to France.
Under the telling title “To Educate or to Ban: Breaking the Impasse – UNESCO`s New Initiative on Parenting in the Digital Age,” experts presented a new global strategy to promote media literacy within families. A packed hall in Paris confirmed the urgency of the topic and the need to explore solutions. Parent associations, educators, psychologists, media experts – and notably, teenagers themselves – gathered to address a challenge that has touched nearly every family around the world.
Participants discussed the urgent issue of establishing communication with children in the digital age, where a new type of generational gap is emerging.
The Chair of Ukraine’s media regulator shared her observations on the uniqueness of the current situation:
“Today we are witnessing the first generation of parents who live and raise their children in the digital age – one that has deepened the gap between generations and brought an extraordinary number of new challenges that people had never experienced or even imagined before.”
In the past, generational conflict revolved around values – musical tastes, political views, or life priorities. Today, however, parents and children quite literally live in different worlds. Modern teenagers don’t just use gadgets; they think in terms of the digital space. Their slang, ways of communication, and even their sense of humor are shaped by the online environment. Parents often feel like foreigners in their own homes, unable to understand what their children are talking about. This disconnect leads to feelings of anxiety and helplessness among adults.
The solution proposed by experts may seem simple, but it requires a fundamental shift in thinking. The traditional question, “How was your day?” is no longer enough. Parents need to learn how to engage with their children’s online activity and understand their digital lives.
Surprisingly, young participants at the event expressed support for establishing certain legal boundaries for their own online activity. They recognize the risks of the digital world and are willing to accept limitations for the sake of their own safety.
Legislative solutions are especially important for countries affected by conflict, where the internet has become the primary means of maintaining social connections.
For Ukraine, which continues to live under the conditions of war, the need for strong family bonds and the information security of children is even more urgent. Participation in such initiatives is not only about global solidarity – it is about concrete steps toward protecting the next generation and sharing responsibility for those growing up in an era of turbulence, fear, and digital invisibility.
