The event will launch a working process to identify priorities and establish the foundation for future public policies on digital rights and wellbeing.
A diagnosis in Euskadi involving over 7,600 children and adolescents indicates that 93% are registered on at least one social network, with 4.3% showing indicators of problematic use.
The conference will focus on protection against harmful content, digital literacy, family mediation, online violence, and platform responsibility.
The protection and defense of children's rights, guided by the principle of the best interests of the child, will shape the work Euskadi aims to develop in line with the European strategy and the Familiak and V Plan for Families, Children, and Adolescents.
The meeting follows the recent publication of UNICEF Euskadi's report 'Infancia, adolescencia y bienestar digital. Resultados Euskadi', based on responses from 7,675 young people aged 10 to 20.
According to the report, 93% of Basque minors are on at least one social network, and 4.3% may have problematic usage patterns. Associations are observed between problematic use and emotional distress, though direct cause-and-effect relationships cannot be established.
The Basque Government emphasizes that the challenge is not merely to regulate screen time but to ensure children can navigate digital environments safely, critically, and autonomously, with their rights protected.
The event will be structured around four key areas: problematic use and protection, access to harmful content and services, digital literacy and family mediation, and the creation of safe digital environments with platform accountability.
Minister of Wellbeing, Youth, and Demographic Challenge, Nerea Melgosa, stated: "We cannot educate our children and adolescents for a world that no longer exists. The digital environment is part of their lives. Our responsibility is to defend their rights there too, help them inhabit it safely, critically, and autonomously, protect them when necessary, and provide families with tools to support them."
Euskadi already has action lines such as guides for families, awareness campaigns on balanced device use, and collaboration with Education and UNICEF. Additionally, the Zeuk Esan (116111) service offers guidance to minors and families.
The conference is part of a broader process, connecting with the European strategy and Basque plans to achieve a coordinated national response involving institutions, the educational community, families, and experts.
