UNESCO: Content creators should be empowered to use digital platforms safely and responsibly

Abu Dhabi, 10 December / WAM / Adeline Howlin, Head of the Information Literacy and Media Unit at UNESCO, confirmed that young people today play an active role in the digital media landscape, noting the importance of enabling them to use digital platforms in a safe and responsible manner, especially in light of growing challenges such as electronic harassment, hate speech, and the spread of misinformation.

This came during a session entitled “Trusted Digital Spaces to Enhance the Influence of Youth in the Global Media Scene” within the activities of the first session of the “Bridge 2025” Summit, which is being held at the Abu Dhabi Exhibition Center (ADNEC), with the participation of 430 speakers from 45 countries, including senior innovators, policy makers, investors, technology experts, media institutions, and cultural leaders.

Howlin presented a comprehensive vision on the importance of digital information culture, and the role of technology, society, schools, and parents in empowering young people and content makers. She reviewed the results of a global survey entitled “Behind the Screens,” which addressed the challenges facing young people and adolescents who are Internet users in 50 countries. She pointed out that the results revealed that more than 70% of young content makers are exposed to harassment, digital violence, or hate speech, with a greater impact on women, as one in three women is exposed to violence online, and that about 62% of young people do not They do any kind of fact checking before sharing information.

Hollin pointed out that young people get their information from social media, explaining that these challenges are not limited to violence or hate speech, but also include the spread of misinformation, which makes the need to enhance information literacy from an early age essential to ensure that young people are able to distinguish between correct and misleading information.

In the same context, Howlin pointed out that addressing these issues requires an integrated societal approach that includes all concerned parties, saying: “The responsibility does not lie with the user alone, but rather with everyone: schools, teachers, and policy makers, and each party should bear its responsibility.”

Howlin pointed to the role of parents in guiding their children, saying: “Children are exposed to information outside the scope of their parents, and parents are not sufficiently familiar with digital tools, so it is difficult for them to guide their children. This is why UNESCO is working on initiatives to support and empower parents, by providing practical tools and guidance to help their children deal with digital information, while encouraging dialogue instead of strict censorship.”

Hollin stressed that technology plays a pivotal role in combating misinformation and enhancing digital safety, stressing the importance of integrating efforts between technology, content creators, parents, and the local community, taking into account the specificity of each country’s local contexts.

She added: “Technology can be useful for scaling up efforts, through content recognition, assessment, and violation reporting tools, but success depends on how it is integrated into the educational and community environment.”

Howlin pointed out that local partnerships are an essential element for the success of any information initiative, referring to UNESCO’s experiences with religious and community organizations, saying: “Practical experiences have proven the effectiveness of partnerships with local organizations to deliver digital information culture to different groups in an appropriate and direct way, and the number of participants in some initiatives has increased by 200% over the past years.” She also stressed the importance of training content makers on international standards for freedom of expression, to ensure the publication of responsible and safe content that has a positive impact on youth and society.

Hollin concluded the session by emphasizing the importance of digital initiatives being flexible and adapting to the local context. She said: “Every country has its own characteristics, and the same models cannot be applied everywhere. Therefore, we work to adapt educational materials, awareness campaigns, and digital tools to suit the local culture and the specific needs of each community.”

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