Digitalization is not a natural force - EU diplomat

Ylitalo, who also heads the Delegation's Political, Press and Information Section, spoke on the sidelines of the EU-funded ValEUs workshop "Digital Dignity: Civil Society Against Cyberbullying," held in Astana on September 5 and 6 for 24 high school students.

What is the project behind this event, and why does it matter now?

This is an EU-funded project. It's now in its third year. Several universities around the world are participating in it, including Nazarbayev University. The event was about cyberbullying. Very young high school students had discussions and presented videos. We spoke together and explored ways to fight cyberbullying.

Why is cyberbullying on the agenda now, not only in Kazakhstan but worldwide?

This is a very timely topic. The digital world, including artificial intelligence, is developing very fast. There's new technology coming and new ways to use the technology.

Unfortunately, it also has some downsides. Younger children who use mobile devices can enjoy the new opportunities of digitalization, but they can also find ways to do harm to each other, as children have traditionally done with ordinary bullying.

Cyberbullying, however, happens in the online sphere, so it's perhaps not immediately visible to parents or teachers. It is certainly a concern. But digitalization is not a natural force. There are decisions made by humans to control it. I think joint discussions are useful for exchanging thoughts and perhaps finding common solutions to these issues.

How is the issue being discussed within the European Union?

This is also an issue in the European Union and in EU member states, where it is actively discussed. There is a shared responsibility between digital platforms and governments, schools, parents and civil society.

There have also been discussions in recent months about setting age limits in different EU member states. There are different approaches, but essentially they concern age limits for accessing social media platforms. So far, there is no common EU policy on a certain age.

You compared cyberbullying to ordinary bullying. What makes it particularly concerning?

I think the logic is basically the same, but it may be something that parents or teachers don't immediately understand, because this is also new for them and they may not be aware of the latest trends in social media. So it might be more difficult for them to intervene.

And obviously, something like deepfake videos or pictures can spread very fast in online circles, way beyond the smaller group at school. So there are certain risks that make it concerning.

You have children yourself. How do you approach this issue at home?

So far it's easy, because my oldest is only six years old, so we simply don't give them devices to access this environment. But the discussion also made me think about our family a little bit. These are some of the issues that I might face in the future when the children grow.

When policymakers consider age restrictions, should they focus specifically on social media rather than internet access more broadly?

It's a very complicated discussion, because internet access and some social media platforms also offer young people opportunities to develop themselves and learn new things and perhaps build social relationships. So it's a very tricky question.

I think this is an issue where all countries are facing the same problem, and there may also be things that the EU can learn from other countries. So I think it's important to continue exchanging thoughts on this.

Could the EU learn from Australia's approach?

Australia has introduced quite a strict ban, I think. So far, EU member states are making their own policies, and these kinds of policies, or ideas for such policies, also face some resistance in some member states. They may not be so straightforward to implement.

But it's certainly interesting to follow how it works in other countries like Australia, and maybe those experiences will also contribute to our discussions inside the EU.

Given how quickly technology changes, what should projects dealing with issues such as cyberbullying take into account?

A topic like cyberbullying evolves very quickly. It would be very difficult to plan a similar event three years from today because many things may have changed. So I think it's important to maintain some kind of agility and to be able to amend plans as technologies develop.

The workshop involved high school students. Should this kind of education begin at a younger age?

Of course, the information is also relevant for elementary school children, and it should, in fact, start from there and probably be part of the program in all countries. But school curricula are not so easy to change or to add new topics to. I think this is something that many schools and governments may be considering.

Earlier, Qazinform reported that Meta had agreed to pay $18 billion and introduce new limits on teenage use of Facebook and Instagram under settlements with most U.S. states.