Organized by the General Secretariat for Media
“It doesn’t matter what measures the member states will take and how the media themselves will self-regulate, if we do not develop a high level of digital literacy among parents, teachers and educators,” stressed government spokesman Simos Kedikoglou, who referred to the impact of digital media on young people and the need to make changes to the legal and regulatory framework, and to limit the risks arising from the convergence of mass media and communication. “Maintaining a safe digital environment for children and preserving the freedom of users is a question. To answer this, we must all work together,” said the government spokesman.
"We must activate families, schools, all the axes that have to do with the education of young people and structure a dialogue," said the General Secretary of Media, Yiannis Panagiotopoulos, for his part, and shared his experience from the time when he was a teacher in secondary education, noting the importance of knowledge with the realities that children face. "We should define by law which programs a minor can use. It is not a matter of freedom, but a matter of protection and democracy throughout Europe," he emphasized.
"We cannot and should not block the internet from children," argued the chairman of the National Telecommunications and Post Commission, Konstantinos Louropoulos, emphasizing that "for every threat, special measures are needed at a technical, social and institutional level.".
The need for a stable environment, with legal interventions to protect the many, was emphasized by Chris Ratcliffe, managing director for the United Kingdom, while Bettina Brigman, head of television services at the EBU, spoke about the promotion of audiovisual productions with content suitable for minors, as well as the need to provide high-quality programming. “We need to support media literacy to protect minors,” said Ms Brigman.
The view that the European directive does not need to change dramatically was expressed by Adam Means, executive director of COBA, describing the example and policy framework of the United Kingdom. “If we have the right content we will make the world a better place,” he noted.
“There may be risks and a need to protect minors, but let’s consider what society is losing if children are afraid to be themselves,” said Catherine McAllister, head of education programs at the BBC, emphasizing that “we should not create barriers, but help children.” “Public bodies have an obligation to provide information to help children and parents,” she added.
Joanna Sancel, from the French Ministry of Culture and Communication, spoke about expanding the scope of legislation to content providers, emphasizing the need for education initiatives in the digital age.
"Children should be treated as equal citizens with their own culture," emphasized Joseph Klironomos from the Foundation for Technology and Research, speaking about access for children with disabilities.
Among the issues discussed at the Conference was the issue of the competence of the Member States to control and the adequacy of the current regulatory framework for the protection of minors in the environment of digital media convergence.
