How to get minors to interact with technology safely

Editorial Office/Rosa Márquez

Children increasingly have access to the Internet at an earlier age, it is estimated that by the age of 12 the vast majority already have a mobile phone with an Internet connection, often unprepared to face the new world that is opening up before them. That is why it is important that educators and parents have the necessary tools to prevent and resolve problems that may arise from the inappropriate use of technology by minors. "With this course we intend to offer future teachers, university students who are studying Early Childhood Education, Primary Education or the Master's Degree in Teaching access to resources to work on these situations," explains its director, Rebeca Martín Nieto.

The course, which will be held on June 27 and 28, is also aimed at active teachers and family members, so that they can identify, both at home and in the classroom, the needs and dangers that minors face when they use technology. Teachers will be trained to prevent and practice media literacy effectively with their classroom. According to the Fundación Atresmedia website, media and information literacy (MII) is a term that refers to the process of learning the skills and abilities to function in today's media, produce content and understand, in a more critical way , the information received.

Call for papers

The person in charge of the inaugural conference will be José Antonio Luengo, Dean of the College of Psychologists of Madrid, an expert in the relationship between psychology and technology. Adriana Negueruela, from UNICEF, will talk about her research experience with more than fifty thousand adolescents throughout the country, whom she has asked about the impact that technology has on their lives. The psychologist Silvia Álava will give advice to preserve mental health before the screens.

On the second day of the course, Devi Urunga, head of the Technological Addictions Service of the Community of Madrid and Óscar Martín Centeno, from the Santo Domingo school, will participate, who will tell how an educational center came back through the good use of technology.

 The closing conference will be given by Juan García Álvarez de Toledo, from the BlogOff Organization.