As part of the session “Our Generation Decides” which was organized with the help of the Center for Global IT-Cooperation, the YDO team discussed with schoolchildren digital rights, digital literacy and rules of conduct on the Internet. And it was in no way a boring lecture on serious issues, but a live conversation in an interactive format. The participants of the discussion themselves gave definitions to such concepts as “cyberbullying”, “trash content” or “catching”. Irina and Dmitry asked schoolchildren some rather sharp questions: for example, do they consider deleting and moderating negative content as the right strategy to combat harassment and violence on the Internet?

Kids shared their personal stories of when they were faced with negative content. The YDO team, for its part, suggested possible solutions and gave advice on where to ask for help in case of cyberbullying (law enforcement agencies, Roskomnadzor) and where to get psychological support. It turned out that the issues of behaviour in social networks are, perhaps, one of the most exciting topics for children and adolescents.

After the session, the YDO team interviewed other festival participants and learned about their attitudes towards negative content on the Internet. And as a result of a small blitz survey, it turned out that VKontakte remains the most popular social network among Russian children and adolescents.

After such a productive first day of summer, the season for the Youth Digital Ombudsperson is definitely going to be busy. Follow the news on our website and subscribe to the Ombudspersons's social networks: @internet.team.