The 10th Information Security and Children national scientific and practical conference took place in Moscow from March 2 to March 6. The event was organized by the Academy of Innovative Education and Development, with the Coordination Center for TLD .RU/.РФ serving as the general partner.
Andrey Vorobyev, Director of the Coordination Center, addressed the conference’s plenary session, where he spoke about the Center’s educational initiatives and projects.
Together with Yelizaveta Belyakova, Chair of the Alliance for the Protection of Children in the Digital Environment, Andrey Vorobyev also moderated a session, Fostering Information and Digital Hygiene Practices Among Children and Youth as a Foundation for Enhancing National Unity. The session participants examined an extensive scope of issues related to the digital security of children and adolescents, ranging from the protection of personal data and combating cyberstalking to the development of digital hygiene skills and critical thinking in the online environment. Experts and educators from across the country took part in the session, presenting their projects and sharing practical approaches to working with young people. The discussion also addressed the influence of social media on adolescents’ self-esteem and identity, the development of a neural network culture within schools, and the role of families in cultivating a culture of cybersecurity.
On March 6, the Russia National Center hosted the final event of the conference – a session titled Promotion of Positive Content as a Tool to Mitigate the Impact of Unfriendly Information Attacks on the Younger Generation. Participants discussed approaches for avoiding being overwhelmed by the endless flow of news, posts, videos, and memes. They also spoke about ways to determine the boundary between freedom and danger online, as well as ways to create positive and meaningful content while avoiding exposure to destructive material.
Olga Rubtsova, Rector of the Academy of Innovative Education and Development and moderator of the session, emphasized that handling information is becoming an increasingly essential part of today’s life. She also spoke about the activities of digital volunteers and children’s IT volunteer squads. In particular, she highlighted the Coordination Center’s project Explore the Internet & Govern It, aimed to help users learn the rules of responsible online behavior through an engaging game-based format.
In his speech, Andrey Vorobyev provided detailed information about the Explore the Internet & Govern It project as well as the Center’s other educational initiatives and projects, such as the School of Mentors, the Summer School on Internet Governance, and several others. To assess the conference participants’ knowledge of internet technologies, digital literacy and online safety, as well as to allow them to experience the project in practice, Andrey Vorobyev concluded the meeting with an interactive online quiz, Explore the Internet.
In closing, participants noted that a safe information environment is one where human consciousness and values serve as the primary filters, and emphasized that the core task is to teach both children and adults to create engaging and intelligent content capable of attracting millions of views while making the world a better place.
With these remarks, the conference came to an end.
