Parenting in the Digital Age: Policymakers Perspective | Division for Inclusive Social Development (DISD)

Co-organized by UN-DESA Division for Inclusive Social Development, the Permanent Missions of Malaysia and the State of Qatar to the UN, with the participation of the Permanent Mission of Austria, the Center for Educational Research and Innovation – OECD, UNICEF Office of Research – Innocenti and Common Sense Media.

The event’s main goal was to focus on how policymakers can help parents and families to develop character and cyber-wisdom in their children. How to spur parents’ proactivity in seeking to cultivate values, qualities and skills in their children especially during the challenging times of the pandemic.

New technologies have helped teachers and parents to continue providing education, have provided ways to stay connected with others, have been enablers to telework, a way to reach out for help getting food and medicines and a much-needed source of entertainment. At the same time, new technologies have shown a darker side. Parents are concerned about what impact the Internet is having on their children’s lives. Their concern can vary from time spent online, impact of virtual interactions to their happiness and wellbeing and cyber-bullied

The event featured a regional balance with the participation of Member States from Qatar (Mena Region), Malaysia (Asia and Pacific) and Austria (Europe); at the same time, policy recommendations came from evidence and literature reviews shared by academic institutions, the UN-System (DISD UN-DESA, UNICEF, OECD) and the private sector (Common Sense Media).