1 / 2

On April 28, the member of the RA NA Delegation to PACE Sona Ghazaryan gave a speech at the regular meeting of PACE Plenary Session.

“Honorable chair, esteemed colleagues,

I would like to express my gratitude to Yevgenia for her insightful remarks and to Fiona for her excellent analysis of the topic of youth and media. During our recent political group discussion, Mrs. Petra Steinen made a very poignant statement that I believe is worth quoting. She compared media to a knife, emphasizing that it is a matter of how we use it.

Media can provide young people with an excellent platform for networking and learning new skills and knowledge. However, it can also be a source of mental health problems, violate young people's privacy and personal data, and promote illegal content that should be a priority for us as members of national parliaments. It is critical that young people are well informed about these regulations.

As lawmakers, it is essential to maintain a delicate balance between freedom and regulation. We must ensure that young people's creative potential in the digital environment is not hindered or economically exploited. It is also important to note that children and young people are faced with information overload on the internet, with influencers, TikTokers, YouTubers, and video bloggers promoting a plethora of material and narratives on social networks. These social network influencers are often disseminators of misinformation, toxic advertising, and harmful content, including non-consensual pornography. Regulating this harmful content is critical.

Furthermore, in the digital ecosystem, cyberbullying, online harassment, and cyber aggression come in various forms, including impersonation, hacking into others’ accounts, disseminating photos or videos online, spreading defamatory material online, and other intentional behavior through electronic devices that aim to harm victims. Young people must be protected from such behavior.

It is the responsibility of States, regulators, educators, civil society, and private platforms to ensure that young people are well-informed and responsible adults in the future. We must work together to ensure that the digital environment is safe, secure, and promotes healthy growth for our youth.

Thank you”