With the government's support, a hundred teenagers from scouting associations, secondary schools and public and private colleges were invited to the Ministry of Industry and Finance on Tuesday, 7 February  2023, to speak publicly about their wishes to improve their lives online. Their speeches, prepared in advance with the French Safer Internet Centre, followed the campaign theme "What are our children doing online? And tomorrow?" and raised the young people's questions according to the three verbs "To inform, to communicate, to be entertained". To answer their questions, they were faced with Former Minister François Bayrou,  Jean-Noël Barrot, Minister Delegate for Digital Transition and Telecommunications, and Charlotte Caubel, Secretary of State for Children, as well as a hundred representatives of social media platforms (like TikTok, Twitter, Meta and so on), the video game industry, GAFAM and the press.

What have we learned from this new format?

Giving this generation a voice is essential, but it also requires adults to be ready to listen to the young generation and respond honestly and frankly. Listening to and publicly acknowledging the anger, frustration and disagreement of these teenagers when confronted with tools or services that sometimes cause them to experience injustice and violence is not easy in a world where the voice of industry is very powerful and where policymakers struggle to implement responses to protect them. 

Such experience is important for confronting the limits and the discourses of adults and professionals in the sector. As an actor mandated by the European Commission to protect minors online, we have affirmed our role through this experience and are enthusiastic to go beyond next year. 

Find more information about the work of the French Safer Internet Centre, including their awareness raising, helpline, hotline and youth participation services – or find similar information for other Safer Internet Centres throughout Europe.