The Web Young People Want

Over the last few months, Brussels has heard a great deal about how to build a safe digital space for young people. The discussion focused on bans and stronger parental controls. Yet, we rarely hear directly from young people about their online experience, including both opportunities and risks.

In a flipped format, the Lisbon Council convened the High-Level Roundtable on ‘The Web Young People Want: Building a Digital Future on Agency, not Anxiety,’ a unique opportunity for decision-makers to engage directly with youth representatives. During the session, participants heard from Gabriele Battimelli, Italian youth ambassador, Better Internet for Kids (BIK) Network; Tobiáš Bruno Galia, member of the Czech Council of Children and Youth and member of the Youth Advisory Board to President von der Leyen; and Martina Tóthová, member of the Youth Council of Slovakia and member of the Youth Advisory Board to President von der Leyen. Joining them were high-level experts, including Jutta Croll, chairwoman and member of the Special Panel on Children’s Online Safety to President von der Leyen; Martin Harris Hess, head of sector for the protection of minors, directorate-general for communications networks, content and technology, European Commission; Kevin Byrne and Conor Hogan, leading the dossier on online safety on behalf of the upcoming Irish Presidency of the Council of the European Union; Kai Agnes Schrober, division of education, family affairs, senior citizens, women and youth, Permanent Representation of Germany to the European Union; and Cecilia Zappalà, head of European Union government affairs and public policy, YouTube.

The discussion also sought to bring a much-needed intersectional and inclusive perspective to the debate. In this spirit, important contributions were made by Sarah Cooke O’Dowd, Brussels liaison officer, European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE); Loredana Dicsi, youth coordinator, European Disability Forum; Bella FitzPatrick, executive director, The International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer and Intersex (LGBTQI) Youth & Student Organisation (IGLYO); and Rareș Voicu, president, European Youth Forum.