Presentation of the report “Childhood, Adolescence and Digital Wellbeing"
Mireia Yter, researcher and project manager of the Chair for Socially Responsible Digital Innovation of the Institute of Social Innovation (SoReDI), moderated the round table of the report “Childhood, adolescence and digital wellbeing. Catalan Results”, held on June 12 within the framework of the presentation of the study prepared by UNICEF Spain, the University of Santiago de Compostela, the General Council of Computer Engineering and the Public Enterprise Entity Red.es.
The conference focused on the challenges posed by the relationship of children and adolescents with screens and digital technologies, from a perspective that integrates health, coexistence, education and social responsibility. The session began with the welcome of Jaume Lanaspa, president of UNICEF Catalan Committee and the Office of the Club of Rome in Barcelona, followed by the conference “Minors and Screens. There is no well-being without digital well-being”, by Antonio Rial Boubeta, from the University of Santiago de Compostela.
The presentation of the report included the interventions of Jesús Herrero, general director of Red.es; Karina Gibert, professor of the UPC and dean of the Official College of Computer Engineering of Catalonia; Nacho Guadix, head of Education and Digital Rights of UNICEF Spain and member of the SoReDI Advisory Council, and Antonio Rial himself, scientific director of the study. Their contributions allowed contextualizing the results of the report and addressing the different dimensions of digital well-being during childhood and adolescence.
The day continued with a round table moderated by Mireia Yter, which brought together voices from education, health, families, administration and technology. The conversation included the participation of Mohamed Afantrous Cherrati, young member of the Community of Practice of the Chair for Socially Responsible Digital Innovation and student of Microinformatics and Networks in the Nicolau Copèrnic center in Terrassa; Sonia Fernàndez Cuenca, general director of Curriculum and Professional Development of the Department of Education and Professional Training; Susana Jiménez-Murcia, head of the Clinical Psychology Service of the Bellvitge Hospital and member of the report's advisory group; Lidon Gasull, director of Federated Associations of Students' Families of Catalonia (aFFaC), and Albert Beltran, co-founder of Balance Phone. The debate allowed to address issues such as the use of screens, mental health, digital habits, family and educational support and the responsibility of the different agents involved in the digital ecosystem.
Councillor Miquel Sàmper put the end to a meeting that had gathered diverse perspectives around an increasingly central issue: how to guarantee the digital well-being of children and adolescents in a society deeply conditioned by technology, from a transversal and shared perspective, which does not take all responsibility in children and adolescents, but also takes into account the role of families, educational centers, administrations, the health system and the technological sector. An approach that connects directly with the need to promote more responsible, equitable and well-being-oriented digital environments.