Online Focus Group
Families and New Technologies
Thursday, 21st January 2021
The United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs has decided that the topic for next Commission on Social Development will be: “Socially just transition towards sustainable development: the role of digital technologies on social development and well-being of all.”
The same topic will be also featured for the International Day of Families observance at the UN on May 15th. In order to assist policymakers, IFFD wants to contribute to the conducting of qualitative studies and with the creation of relevant publications on the subject.
Above all, the impact of New Technologies will be most probably featured as one of the suggested megatrends by the United Nations during the preparations and celebration of the 30th Anniversary of the International Year of the Family in 2024.
We have gathered a group of experts who are active in a variety of fields related to families and new technologies. The opinions gathered will derive the central elements to our advocacy work on this topic.
A questionnaire with 9 questions was previously sent to all invited experts. The online meeting consisted of the replies from each expert to each question that were expected not to exceed 2 minutes. Any other participants were welcome to attend in an observer capacity only.
The transcription of the meeting is used to produce a publication, and include final recommendations from IFFD based on the points raised by experts. The final outcome is intended to contribute to adjust and enhance the recommendations of the Civil Society Declaration on the occasion of the 30th Anniversary of the International Year of the Family.
Experts
Matt Brossard
Chief, READ (Research on Education And Development) Unit
UNICEF, Office of Research – Innocenti
Florence, Italy
Tracey C. Burns
Senior Analyst, Centre for Educational Research and Innovation
OECD, Directorate for Education and Skills
Paris, France
Amina Fazlullah
Equity Policy Counsel
Common Sense Media
Washington DC, USA
Tom Harrison
Reader and Programme Director at the School of Education
University of Birmingham
Director of Education at the Jubilee Centre for Character and Virtues
Jessica Navarro
Research Assistant, Human Development and Family Studies,
University of North Carolina Greensboro
Luci Pfeiffer
Pediatrician, Doctor in Child and Adolescent Health, Psychoanalyst
Member of the SBP Working Group on Health in the Digital Age
Coordinator of DEDICA Program
Curitiba, Brasil
Janice Richardson
Insight – International advisor on literacy, rights & democracy
Luxembourg
Pierre Verlyck
CEO, POP School
Paris, France
Susan Walker
Associate Professor in Family Social Science
Founder of the Parentopia Project
University of Minnesota, Minneapolis
Moderator
Paul Grass
Research manager, Interaxion Group
Rapporteur
Rémy Verlyck
Questionnaire
1. Should the universal coverage of the internet be considered a human right?
2. What are the best indicators to measure households’ access to New Technologies?
3. Does teleworking contribute to work-family balance or is it just a way to work more?
4. Can the remote learning experience of COVID-19 help to improve education?
5. Which specific policies can help to bridge the intergenerational digital divide?
6. Should coding be introduced as a classroom subject, like other languages?
7. What instruments should be developed to ban child abuse materials online?
8. What is the best tool parents can use to prevent online abuse of their children?
9. Would you like to mention any other topic?
