The digital environment is changing rapidly, and the risks children face are evolving with it. In 2025, cyberbullying, harmful content, fraud, and personal data leaks remain key threats. However, more latent forms of influence, such as algorithmic manipulation, deepfakes, and children's involvement in toxic and destructive online communities, become increasingly alarming.
One of the most dangerous upward trends is the online recruitment of children into criminal, extremist, or pseudo-ideological groups. Teenagers are increasingly being drawn into illegal actions, the use or distribution of illicit substances, and participation in “challenges” involving life-threatening risks or harm to other people. Messengers, anonymous platforms, and value manipulation under the guise of “fighting for truth” or “self-realization” are actively used for this purpose. These processes often unfold unnoticed by adults and rapidly undermine young people's personal and social reference points.
It is against this backdrop that the gap in digital literacy between adults and children becomes especially evident. Today, the “digital divide” is not that much about access to technology, but more about gaps in knowledge and skills that help critically assess digital content and protect one’s interests in the complex information environment.
Awareness-raising among children, parents, and educators remains highly needed, but its effectiveness is still low. The reasons: fragmented efforts, a lack of up-to-date teaching methods, and a focus on formal indicators instead of real behavioral outcomes. What is needed now is a shift from standard lectures to modern formats — interactive platforms, gamification, collaboration with influencers and bloggers, and media formats that are truly captivating.
To effectively respond to modern threats, coordinated efforts of the state, IT companies, educational institutions, NGOs, and parent community are essential. Only joint strategic planning, analytics sharing, and the use of modern monitoring and prevention technologies can help build an environment where children are not just passive objects of protection, but active agents of digital safety.
Further discussion of these topics at the session will outline specific courses of action — from strengthening cross-sectoral cooperation to rethinking approaches to digital culture and online child protection.
