The Espacio Fundación Telefónica, in Madrid, hosted the presentation of Telos magazine’s issue no. 125, entitled Digital Pact. The event opened with a speech by Luis Prendes, the host as general director of the Fundación Telefónica. After this, a brief debate was held, moderated by Juan Zafra, the magazine’s director. Among the speakers were Silvia Leal, a PhD in Sociology; Juan Luis Redondo, director of Public Policy at Telefónica; and Ana Caballero, vice president of the European Association for Digital Transition (EADT).
‘Picking up the gauntlet’ on the magazine’s main theme, digital governance, Caballero took advantage of her first comments to emphasize that this digital governance must be shaped around certain values, very similar to those upon which the EU is founded. These include equal opportunities, respect for the rights of consumers, protection of those who are most vulnerable, such as minors, the defence of democratic principles, etc. In the face of the digital society models led by the United States and China, Europe must make its voice heard because “this is not about consumers or subjects, but citizens”.
Redondo recalled that as early as 2020 Telefónica presented its Digital Pact that, under huge impact from the pandemic, sought to define new rules based on values, which would let the digital transition be managed by putting people at the centre. The ethical limits in digitalization that Redondo noted are especially relevant in settings such as those with minors. This is an area in which the work of the EADT has been especially intense, with the proposal for a State Pact for the protection of minors in the digital realm being the most prominent initiative.
Precisely looking at the effect of digitalization on children and adolescents, and based on a question from a teacher in the audience, some debate arose about the use of technology in education. Leal praised the possibilities of Artificial Intelligence in learning, in areas such as mathematics: “What’s important is the teacher, of course, but with these technologies teachers will have more time to dedicate themselves to their students”. Caballero, conversely, emphasized certain learning problems coming from the use of technology, in addition to emphasizing that, beyond the classrooms, improper use of Internet and social networks causes mental health – and even physical – problems in adolescents.
Faced with the “myth of digital minors”, being accompanied by an adult is the best recipe to optimize all the enormous potential of digitalization, avoiding its dangers, asserted Caballero. But the responsibility cannot rest solely on parents and teachers; the big Internet giants need to accept their responsibility. This is one of the main premises on which the group of experts is working to improve the situation of minors in the digital realm, an initiative of the Spanish Ministry of Youth and Children chaired by Caballero.
