Croatian Telekom, in collaboration with Educational-Rehabilitation Faculty of the University of Zagreb, has launched the project ‘Tools for the Modern Age’, the first structured and scientifically based program aimed at preventing risky behaviors among elementary school students, primarily those in the 7th and 8th grades, as well as adolescents in virtual environments. Scientific research that served as the basis for the program’s development shows a range of risky behaviors among adolescents on the internet, which result in serious negative consequences in the area of mental health and interactions in the real world.
The comprehensive preventive program ‘Tools for the Modern Age’, which will be implemented in elementary schools across Croatia, is necessary given that 30 percent of students in Croatia use the internet for more than four hours a day, and a quarter of them recognize that they are too immersed in the virtual world. Moreover, 50 percent of adolescents check social media as soon as they receive a notification, without delay and regardless of what is happening in their real environment. One percent of high school students meet the criteria for internet addiction, and 20 percent already manifest problems related to excessive internet use, which would mean a concerning four students per class.
Such results can partly be attributed to the lack of systematic investment in skill development among youth, specifically in the area of responsible use of digital technologies. The preventive program developed by ERF, in collaboration with Croatian Telekom, includes 11 structured and interactive workshops for students, which will be conducted by trained professional associates and teachers.
– At Croatian Telekom, we are convinced that technology is a prerequisite for progress and has transformative power. Not only in the context of the economy but also in creating a digital platform through which children and young people can realize their potential. This is also the reason why we have been enabling STEM education for many years, developing digital tools, and implementing literacy programs. To get the best out of technology, it is important to use it responsibly and safely, aware of all the characteristics of the digital environment, especially concerning children and their online behavior. Our desire is to make the necessary shift in elementary schools through collaboration with ERF and the implementation of ‘Tools for the Modern Age’, which is the first scientifically based program for preventing risky behavior in the digital world, allowing generations of schoolchildren to have a happier and more carefree education and upbringing. In the first wave, the program will be implemented in five cities, involving more than 100 schools from 17 counties, and we aim to cover all of Croatia in the coming years, said Igor Vukasović, Director of Corporate Communications at Croatian Telekom.
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Worrying Research Results
By launching systematic prevention of risky behaviors on the internet, HT and ERF aim to reduce existing worrying statistics, especially related to risky behavior in virtual environments.
Namely, research shows that as many as 10 percent of children have experienced an unpleasant experience on the internet, and children who experience violent behavior online are more likely to experience violent behavior in real environments. Additionally, every second young adolescent receives sexual content from both known and unknown individuals, and 20 percent have forwarded someone else’s sexual content without that person’s consent. As many as two-thirds of adolescents have communicated with someone they met online, and a third have exhibited extremely risky behavior by going to meet such a person without their parents’ knowledge.
