Recommendation 3: Support parents with digital education

09 August 2021

Parents are key when it comes to the digital education of children. But they need to be given ways to help them protect their rights, while respecting their best interests.

Parents often don't have a clue.

Quote from a young person at a workshop for 15-17 year olds who was asked "When a child or young person encounters a problem online, who can they turn to?”

The need to support parents with digital education

Recognising that children have a certain degree of digital autonomy does not remove the holders of parental rights from the picture. Quite the contrary, in fact, because they play a key role when it comes to gradually empowering children in the safest possible way.

57%

of parents say they do not currently use parental controls

44%

of parents say they receive not enough or no support when supervising their children's digital practices

60 %

of parents say they do not know where to turn if their child is a victim of cyberbullying

(Source - in French: IFOP survey "Children's digital behaviour" for the CNIL, February 2020)

However, various studies show that parents don't know enough about the ways available to protect their children's rights online, and that they expect a lot of support from the government. Concerned by the extent to which their children are using digital technologies and at an increasingly younger age, especially given the situation created by the pandemic that has multiplied such use, parents want practical advice to help them be responsible and socially aware.

CNIL initiatives

The CNIL and its Educnum digital education initiative are already actively involved in raising awareness among parents to get them involved in their children's digital education.

It also recently worked alongside three other regulatory authorities (the Defender of Rights, the Higher Audiovisual Council (CSA) and the High Authority for the Dissemination of Works and the Protection of Rights on the Internet (Hadopi) to help create a Digital Citizen Kit of educational resources aimed at educators and parents. This initiative also includes an ongoing partnership with the Ministry of Education.

The CNIL knows that strengthening the synergies between the various people involved in digital education for children is essential if we are to ensure that they benefit from concrete protection of their online rights, and to offer parents and educators effective tools and support services. It is therefore crucial to develop these initiatives even further, in a concerted manner and in cooperation with all stakeholders, whether institutions, associations or charities.

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