On 22 June, UNESCO released Growing Up in a Connected World: A Family Guide for the Digital Age, developed in partnership with CLEMI and Réseau Canopé, to support families, educators, and communities in promoting a safer, more critical, and more responsible use of digital environments.

The guide is available online in English, French, and Spanish.

Featuring engaging and informative illustrations, the guide combines scientific research, educational expertise, and the real-life experiences of parents and children to address the key challenges families face in the digital age.

Rather than creating the expectation that parents and educators need to know everything about the digital world, the guide aims to provide them with the confidence and practical tools to support and safeguard their children’s online lives.

● The first chapter focuses on screen time – “Should it be limited, banned, or negotiated?” – and includes best practices recommended by the World Health Organization.
● The second chapter explores how to identify reliable information and foster critical thinking, beginning with the question: “Where do children and teenagers get informed today?”.
● The third chapter examines social media and artificial intelligence (AI), addressing topics such as the impact of algorithms on mental health and the growing presence of AI companions in the lives of children and adolescents.
● The fourth chapter offers practical guidance for parents on protecting children and young people from cyberbullying.
● Finally, the fifth chapter – “Parents, now it’s your turn” – encourages parents to put what they have learned into practice by suggesting activities to do at home and inviting them to reflect on their own digital habits and behaviours.
 

The UNESCO Chair of Communication, Media and Information Literacy and Citizenship (LIACOM/ESCS) supports the dissemination of this guide, which aligns closely with its mission to empower families, children, and communities to exercise digital citizenship and to foster a culture of communication that is open, inclusive, critical, and grounded in respect for human rights and democratic values.

Text authored by the UNESCO Chair in Communication, Media Literacy and Citizenship.