The Athens Democracy Forum served as an opportunity for young people to come together and have the chance to collaborate intellectually. Over the course of three wonderful days, strangers became colleagues and even friends, who worked well together and discussed important topics. Through these discussions, recommendations were made, for progress in the specific areas of interest of the children in attendance. The topics included: social media and its positive effects, social media and its negative effects, AI in general, fake news, and education.
Gen Z, as well as the younger generations, are no strangers to technology and social media, as most are very fond of it. A common positive aspect is the ease and speed of communication through technology. This has led to online friendships and relationships (which can also be a negative/ dangerous aspect). Additionally, technology helps with education because of access to information. A current example discussed at the forum was the current war in Gaza and the fact that information about it can be accessed and spread through social media. Another example is the many cold cases from the 80s, 90s, etc. are coming back to light since the reason they stayed unsolved is that they did not have the scientific technology and social media that we have today.
However, there are negative aspects of social media. In terms of schoolwork, the issue of children using social media as their only source of information, instead of seeking out multiple credible sources was brought up at the forum. Furthermore, many students rely on AI too much and therefore are not using their own knowledge and excelling in their learning. Another negative side is that children with unrestricted online access are more susceptible to grooming through online relationships. Finally, cyberbullying through social media can cause depression and suicidal thoughts for children affected by it.
Fake news was also discussed as another negative aspect of technology and social media. It can lead to people having eating disorders such as anorexia. Many models, and people on apps like Instagram as seen as having “perfect bodies” or “perfect faces”, when in reality, many of the photos deemed as “perfect” are heavily edited. This can be dangerous for very impressionable children. Models are not the only problem. Other people use social media to provide beauty tips, but a lot of them are fake, which leads to young girls specifically, being confused and even more insecure than ever before. Not only does social media have to potential to cause an eating disorder, but it can also trigger a person already dealing with one and stop or slow their process of healing.
AI is a platform that truly reflects the future of our technology and its potential. Even if it can help us in many ways and it is programmed to think like the “human mind”, it is not programmed to feel like a human. AI no matter what, could never comprehend creativity and emotions like a person, because creativity comes from the heart, not simply the mind. Emotions are the most unique thing about a human that no technology could ever compete with. It is crucial to remember that humans are the ones who created AI and technology in the first place.
The topic of highest importance that was discussed by the children at the forum was education. Recommendations made concerning education included: new and elevated training for teachers, lessons on life skills like logic and emotional intelligence, and more efforts to minimize peer pressure. Concerns about universities and colleges were also brought up surrounding money. Students should not be judged based on the amount of money they have, or the amount of money parents have. The only focus should be their grades, knowledge, talent, and who they are as a person.
Through meeting with journalists, psychologists, and politicians at the forum, different ways of thinking and world views were shared. Differences were put aside for the realization that everyone had one thing in common, which was that they wanted to make the world a better place, no matter the age difference.
The forum was the perfect chance for children to express their ideas and worldviews to adults. While everyone came from different places like Athens, Cyprus, Iceland, Spain, Estonia, and more, and had varying life experiences, the forum served as a common experience to have together to reach one goal. The adults listened to the children and the children also tried to understand their perspectives by observing their press conferences. The children that were able to attend the Democracy Forum noted that they were very glad to be a part of it and they hope to be a part of it next year.
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