Mirta Michilli's vision between policy, school and citizenship
Last May, the OECD published its new report, “How's Life for Children in the Digital Age”, a realistic snapshot of children's well-being amid social media, platforms and artificial intelligence. A few days later, Mirta Michilli, director of the Fondazione Mondo Digitale, reiterated the need to educate about digital technology using new tools capable of combining critical awareness, active participation and responsible citizenship.
She did so in two separate but complementary speeches. The first was in an interview broadcast on Radio Rai (programme Parlamento 2.0, hosted by Enrico Pulcini, on 23 May), in which she stated that 'We can no longer think that prohibiting or restricting access is a sufficient response. Young people live immersed in the digital world and we need to help them understand its logic, risks and potential. Education must start from there'.
Michilli then articulated this message in a more analytical form in an article published in Agenda Digitale entitled “Educating young people about digital technology: beyond bans, towards active citizenship”: “Young people need to be helped to become active individuals, capable of building positive relationships, distinguishing reliable sources, understanding the effects of disinformation and cultivating a critical view of algorithmic content”.
The OECD reports that children's time online has increased by an average of 50% over the last decade, while levels of anxiety and loneliness are rising among digitally hyperconnected adolescents. This confirms that the challenge is not to reduce exposure, but to build skills to live in the digital world with greater autonomy and well-being.
For Michilli, this also means promoting schools as privileged public spaces for digital education, investing in teacher training, peer education programmes and projects shared with families.
The end goal? An “augmented citizenship” that is aware and inclusive, capable of resisting manipulation and contributing to the construction of a more just society, including through digital technology.
Today, Wednesday 11 June, Elisa Amorelli will be discussing the same issues live on Buongiorno Regione Lazio on Rai 3, with a greater focus on addiction and the phenomenon of social withdrawal.
