[Digest] Workshop: The influence of social media on the development of children and young people

This workshop, organised by the Policy Department for Structural and Cohesion Policies, was held at the CULT Committee meeting on 1 March 2023 with a participation of three experts.

• Prof. Brian O’NEILL presented the study on “The influence of social media on the development of children and young people”, commissioned by the Policy Department.
• Ms Rosanna DI GIOIA, researcher in the Joint Research Centre (JRC), presented the findings of the JRC research on Children’s digital practices in home and school contexts.
• Dr. Claudia LAMPERT, project coordinator at the Leibniz Institute for Media Research, Hans-Bredow-Institut, presented the project Children Online: Research and Evidence (CO:RE).

The presentations were followed by questions from the Members and a stimulating debate, concentrating, among others, on:

• the influence of social media on children’s ability to concentrate in a non-digital setting;
• online parental control;
• new technological developments, such as the metaverse;
• the risks of social media and the impact of cyber-bullying, hate speech and sexual abuse;
• future EU strategies and legislation to prevent and fight these phenomena;
• teaching practices, toolkits and guidelines adapted to these technological developments.