Topic: 2025 – Protecting and Empowering Youth in Digital Spaces
Country: Slovenia
Delegate Name: Mackenzee Stanley-Eldred
Human Rights Council
Protecting Youth in Digital Spaces
Republic of Slovenia
Mackenzee Stanley-Eldred
East Grand Rapids
While The Republic of Slovenia recognizes the internet as a powerful tool in today’s global network, Slovenia also emphasizes the risks that it imposes, especially on vulnerable users. Internet use has an array of harmful effects on mental health. Teenagers can very easily access extreme and inappropriate content which can harm mental health. In 2023, 23%, almost one in every four teenage internet users, reported being cyber bullied. The internet also exposes minors to people and companies looking to exploit them. In addition, eating disorders have reached an all-time high, with an increase in diagnoses in people under 17 of 107% from 2018 to 2022.
In Slovenia, 99% of children report using the internet every day. These high numbers of internet use present issues regarding mental and physical health of the youth. In Slovenia, 11%, over one child in every ten, shows early predictors of a social media addiction. There is also a gender imbalance among internet use, with 13% of young girls showing indicators of addiction compared to 9% of boys. Cyberbullying is also a problem, with as much as 51% of children online reporting being made fun of, resulting in anxiety and depression. In addition, 49%, almost half of all Slovenian children, feel left out when seeing social events of their peers online.
Currently, the United Nations policy regarding youth in digital spaces is focused on spreading information regarding safe internet practices, as well as education and literacy efforts. Through agencies such as UNICEF and UNESCO, the UN aims to create safe digital spaces for minors, and create education campaigns for educators and parents to teach their youth how to safely navigate the internet.
Slovenia recognizes that in order to protect youth in digital spaces, targeted practices are necessary to ensure the balance of safety and personal freedoms. To address the high levels of internet usage among children and youth, Slovenia supports expanding digital-literacy education in schools, with different programs tailored by gender to reflect the differences in pressures and online behaviors experienced by different genders. Slovenia also advocates for strengthened mental health services to address issues caused by the internet, again including tailored messaging fitted by gender and age group to account for body image problems as well as cyberbullying. In addition, Slovenia calls for regulation regarding advertisements and monetized content in order to protect young users from exploitative marketing and negative effects associated with targeted online content.
Sources
https://entreprendre.service-public.gouv.fr/actualites/A16089?lang=en
https://www.yalemedicine.org/news/social-media-teen-mental-health-a-parents-guide
https://www.hhs.gov/surgeongeneral/reports-and-publications/youth-mental-health/social-media/index.html#:~:text=This%20is%20concerning%20as%20a,a%20day%20on%20social%20media.&text=And%20when%20asked%20about%20the,media%20makes%20them%20feel%20worse.
https://safe.si/
https://www.un.org/en/global-issues/child-and-youth-safety-online?utm_source=chatgpt.com
https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/creating-safe-digital-spaces?utm_source=chatgpt.com
