The Ministry of Education and Science (MES) is organizing a national round table on the topic "Are restrictions on children's access to social networks necessary?", the ministry's press center announced. The initiative, which aims to examine the issue of the growing influence of online platforms on the youngest, is a joint effort with a number of committees of the National Assembly, including the Committee on Education and Science, the Committee on Demographic Policy, Children and Family, the Committee on Healthcare and the Committee on Labor and Social Policy.
The event, which is expected to attract significant interest, is scheduled for November 20 and will begin at 2:00 PM. The venue is the National Archaeological Institute with a museum at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, located at 2 "Sabornaya" Street.
The aim of the round table is to provide a platform for open and expert public discussion, focusing on the impact of social networks on children and students. The topics discussed will include their habits, the way they communicate, the educational process and their safety in the digital environment. Possible approaches to regulating access to these platforms will also be considered.
To ensure maximum transparency, the entire discussion will be broadcast live online on the official website of the Ministry of Education and Science. This will allow the general public to follow the debates and get acquainted with the different points of view on the matter.
The MES informs that those wishing to participate in the discussion must register in advance, as places are limited.
The debate about social networks and their use by children is a current issue that is being discussed in many countries. As BTA has already written, Australia has taken steps to ban social networks, and similar discussions are being held in France, Spain, Norway, Greece and Denmark.
The Minister of Education and Science, Krasimir Valchev, at the meeting of the Committee on Education and Science in the National Assembly on November 5 emphasized the importance of the topic. He pointed out that Denmark, which currently holds the presidency of the European Union, has launched a pan-European initiative to restrict the use of social networks by children and young people under the age of 15.
"This is an initiative of the Danish presidency, but there is also enough scientific research that shows harmful and addictive effects, and when one thing is both harmful and addictive, we have reason to talk about restriction", said Minister Valchev. He added: "A debate should be organized and the topic should be discussed, because a large percentage of parents will hear that there is such a harmful effect and the scientific studies are categorical, and show significant brain damage in children".
The Minister emphasized the fact that there is a lot of content in social networks that is designed to cause addiction. This, especially in video content, leads to a constant flow of dopamine in the brain, contributing to momentary happiness and addiction, which makes it difficult to detach from mobile phones. "As parents, and as a state, and as a society, we must talk about this issue, because it is harmful. We must limit the time spent in social networks, because it has a harmful influence on the development of children and we must clearly tell the parents. Together with the committees on education, healthcare, on children's issues and demographic policy, we will organize such a discussion, and we have planned it for November 20. We will invite everyone who wishes to express an opinion on the topic - doctors, psychologists, representatives of the Danish presidency, of the technology companies," said Valchev.