Digital child protection as a new inter-regional pedagogical tool with parents, teachers and peer mentors to reduce online risks

The online risks threatening children aged 11-14, particularly issues related to abuse, addictions, problematic internet and smart device usage, and social media anxiety, impact almost every child, class community, and family to varying degrees based on linguistic, national/regional, income, educational, and cultural factors. To address these challenges, the project offers a solution through the regional integration of a new pedagogical tool system for digital child protection, leveraging inter-regional cooperation in the following manner:

Proportional and Effective Educational Intervention:

The project aims to create tailored education, including Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), Age Peer Mentor (APM) sessions, and digital parenting workshops, specifically designed for the target audience within the program region. This involves the establishment of a Community Digital Risk Profile (C-C-DRP) by collecting data from 260 class communities across 65 schools. The C-DRP will be a validated, GDPR-compliant, anonymous online questionnaire evaluated through specialized software.

Three-Level Educational Program: 
a) Targeted MOOC Course for Educators: Certified teacher training will be provided through interactive e-learning, focusing on four main risk categories with 12 subtopics and creative video content. In the 2024/25 period, 350 educators will receive training, with an additional 280 during the maintenance period. 

b) Age Peer Mentor Program: The program includes peer mentorship, where high school students conduct workshops for 6th to 8th-grade students in elementary schools. The APM model, which is particularly relevant for digital risk reduction due to age and credibility factors, is based on a four-level model: 1. Sensitization workshops for school staff from involved schools (16 schools in 2024/25, 24 in the maintenance period); 2. Training for mentor teachers responsible for student selection and support in high schools; 3. A 2-day preparation for high school students to become mentors; 4. Workshops conducted by high school students for 375 students in the program region's 6th to 8th-grade classes. 

c) Digital Parenting Integration :Recognizing the crucial role of parents in reducing online risks, the project aims to provide digital parenting methods. Workshops will be designed for parents of 11-14-year-old students from classes of participating educators in the MOOC. Since involving a larger group of parents in intensive, small-group settings is impractical from an organizational and resource perspective, the project will organize 3 workshop conferences alongside twelve 3-hour practical and problem-focused workshops.