“Has it ever happened to you?”: Teenagers talk about risky situations on social media at the CIS Digital Camp
On July 23rd, the UNESCO Chair on Communication, Media and Information Literacy and Citizenship (ESCS-IPL) held a workshop on digital literacy with around 50 high school and vocational students from across the country.
This session was part of the first day of CIS Digital Camp 2025, an initiative of the National Cybersecurity Center/Safe Internet Center (CIS), in partnership with Fórum Estudante and the Polytechnic University of Lisbon, which hosts this edition.
Based on this year’s theme – cyberbullying –, the UNESCO Chair’s team challenged the young participants to reflect on delicate or disturbing situations they face daily on social media, such as the sharing of videos showing assaults involving classmates, influencers spreading hate speech, and an overload of violent content in their feeds.
The aim was to identify emotions and behaviors that are normally associated with these experiences and to reflect on strategies for managing these situations.
The participants were also encouraged to make a list of good practices for a healthy online experience.
The group participated very actively and committedly, sharing real-life stories and suggestions on ways to preserve well-being in the face of the risks of the online world.
“I think all of this is very important, because we are the technology generation and this is part of our lives,” said one of the participants at the end.
Read more about the first day of CIS Digital Camp 2025 in this article published by Fórum Estudante.
CIS Digital Camp is “a three-day immersive experience” for young people aged between 15 and 18, which “aims to engage, train, and empower 50 participants from across the country to become more aware, secure, and inclusive digital citizens, contributing to the development of a culture of cybersecurity from a young age,” according to CISlab.
The ESCS-IPL UNESCO Chair will also participate in the Santarém edition of CIS Digital Camp, to be held in August.
