Brussel, 15 April 2025

Joining the smartphone debate in the European Digital Education Hub

Throughout 2024, we helped shape expert responses to the risks and pitfalls of digital technology in and for education. As part of the Safety and Security Squad within the European Digital Education Hub, we were able to leave our mark.

Joining the European grassroot online platform for digital education development

The Euro­pean Dig­i­tal Edu­ca­tion Hub is an online plat­form and com­mu­ni­ty found­ed in 2021 for all stake­hold­ers in dig­i­tal edu­ca­tion, includ­ing prac­ti­tion­ers, researchers, and pol­i­cy­mak­ers. It has been estab­lished as part of the Euro­pean Commission’s Dig­i­tal Edu­ca­tion Action Plan and cur­rent­ly gath­ers over 5.500 indi­vid­ual mem­bers. The Hub hosts activ­i­ties such as expert webi­na­rs, peer-learn­ing ses­sions, online plat­form for infor­ma­tion exchange, and short-term work­ing groups called squads. Each squad is ded­i­cat­ed to a top­ic and works towards a result (a deliv­er­able) to be achieved in the span of 6–12 months. The top­ics of the squads are vot­ed on by all Hub mem­bers, and all Hub mem­bers can apply to be on a squad on a cer­tain top­ic. Upon selec­tion, 20–25 indi­vid­u­als are select­ed to take part in a squad and par­tic­i­pate in bi-month­ly meet­ings on a vol­un­tary basis.

Shaping the Hub’s solutions for safety and security in digital education

In Feb­ru­ary 2024, our advo­ca­cy coor­di­na­tor Dora Šimunović was select­ed to be on the new­ly found­ed Hub’s squad on safe­ty and secu­ri­ty in dig­i­tal edu­ca­tion. The squad’s man­date was to devel­op guide­lines and think pieces on safe­ty and secu­ri­ty in four areas: when com­mu­ni­cat­ing in the dig­i­tal world, when using smart­phones, when using video games, and when inter­act­ing with arti­fi­cial intel­li­gence (AI). Our con­tri­bu­tion to the work of the squad was strong­ly rely­ing on the par­al­lel devel­op­ment of HERMMES mate­ri­als. Togeth­er with two oth­er mem­bers of the HERMMES part­ner­ship in the squad — Arja Krauchen­berg from the Euro­pean Par­ents’ Asso­ci­a­tion and Prof. Dr Paula Bleck­mann from Alanus Uni­ver­si­ty — we high­light­ed the rel­e­vance of age-appro­pri­ate approach to dig­i­tal edu­ca­tion, ben­e­fits of unplugged solu­tions for acquir­ing dig­i­tal com­pe­tences, and the impor­tance of basic pre­req­ui­sites for safe use of dig­i­tal tools, such as real-world expe­ri­ences, crit­i­cal think­ing, social and emo­tion­al skills, basic lit­er­a­cy and numer­a­cy, etc.

Focusing on the safe use of smartphones in schools and at home

While in 2024 a large num­ber of schools, cities, and coun­tries decid­ed to ban the use of smart­phones in schools, the bans are not the sole solu­tion for ensur­ing edu­ca­tion­al suc­cess in the dig­i­tal age. While smart­phones in schools can dis­tract from learn­ing, used to breach pri­va­cy, or ampli­fy bul­ly­ing, a school should still be a place where chil­dren and young peo­ple gain com­pe­tences need­ed to use smart­phones for their ben­e­fit. To address this chal­lenge, with­in the Hub’s squad on safe­ty and secu­ri­ty, we have pri­ori­tised our con­tri­bu­tions towards the guide for safe and secure use of smart­phones for cit­i­zens across all ages. The high­lights of the guide are that age mat­ters, that both indi­vid­u­als and their sur­round­ings (school, fam­i­ly, friends) shape their expe­ri­ence with smart­phones, and that many capac­i­ties need­ed to safe­ly use smart­phones can and indeed should be taught with­out the use of smartphones.

Further reading