During the forum, the findings of the Survey on the Social Perception of Digital Rights in Spain were presented, revealing overwhelming public support for the introduction of measures aimed at protecting minors.
Young entrepreneurs such as Trisha Prabhu and Albert Bertrán presented initiatives including the Balance Phone, a phone “without apps designed to push us towards automatic consumption”, and Rethink, an app aimed at combating cyberbullying.
The Global Digital Rights Forum concluded its first edition with the participation of more than 100 experts from different fields related to digital rights.
Nearly 50 organisations were involved in organising the event, which featured 20 activities open to the public.
The final sessions of the 1st Global Digital Rights Forum focused on the protection of minors in the digital environment, an issue that is generating growing concern within Spanish society. This is reflected in the first “Survey on the Social Perception of Digital Rights in Spain” — carried out by Fundación Hermes, Fundación ”la Caixa” and Red.es in collaboration with the University of Barcelona, and presented yesterday — according to which 95% of respondents believe that minors are unprotected on the internet.
The study also shows overwhelming support for the implementation of measures aimed at protecting young people in digital environments, such as introducing a mandatory minimum age for the use of social media (91%), the use of parental control mechanisms (96%), and the regulation of advertising targeted at minors (96%).
Throughout the final day of the event, a number of debates and round table discussions took place involving experts in new narratives, public officials and young people, addressing the role of new generations, the responsibility of platforms, and the need for public policies to protect minors in the digital environment.
Young people as agents of change in the digital environment
The afternoon began with the round table discussion “From Users to Changemakers: Youth Redefining Digital Spaces”, in which several young participants presented innovative proposals aimed at transforming digital spaces into safer environments for minors.t
The debate featured the online participation of Trisha Prabhu, founder of ReThink, a technological initiative that uses artificial intelligence to prevent cyberbullying before it occurs. It also included Albert Beltrán, co-founder of Balance Phone, a device designed to reduce digital stimuli and encourage a healthier relationship with technology, alongside Agustina Dellasanta, Social Innovation Project Manager at Save the Children.
The three young speakers shared their experiences and reflected on how younger generations interact with social media, what they expect from platforms, and which rights they consider non-negotiable within the digital ecosystem.
During her intervention, Prabhu, creator of an app aimed at preventing cyberbullying, called for “empowering young people to become strategic actors in activism and innovation. We need to give them the tools to develop technologies and transform digital systems based on their own ideas.”
Beltrán, meanwhile, explained that Balance Phone was created “out of the frustration we felt from spending up to six hours a day scrolling through social media; our idea is to have a phone that allows us to live a normal life, without carrying apps in our pockets that push us towards automatic consumption.”
Audiovisual narratives and identity-building
Another of the issues addressed during the second day of the forum was how identities are shaped in an environment defined by social media, algorithms and online communities. The discussion, entitled “Gender Narratives in the Digital World”, brought together director Leticia Dolera and filmmaker Marc Silver.
Drawing on their respective audiovisual works (Pubertad and Molly & the Machine), both speakers highlighted the importance of film and television in helping to map new digital territories, encouraging a critical perspective on adolescence, technology and the construction of identity.
Dolera stressed that “children must be protected: the digital environment can and should be regulated”. The filmmaker also argued that “the algorithm does not want you to be free, it wants you to be a slave; it wants you hooked and consuming.”
The impact of digital entertainment on Generation Z
The Global Digital Rights Forum also explored the phenomenon of the Kings League as an example of a new digital entertainment ecosystem. Under the title “The Responsibility of Creating Content for Generation Z”, Oriol Querol (CEO of Kings League), Celia Vázquez (UNICEF Spain) and journalist Irati Vidal analysed the impact of these new entertainment formats on young people, the values they convey, and the responsibility involved in engaging mass audiences at an early age.
Public policies to protect children in the digital environment
The forum concluded with the session “Public Policies for a Connected Childhood”, focused on the growing urgency of protecting minors online through institutional action. The discussion brought together Margarita Guerrero (INJUVE), Sandra Ruiz (Generalitat de Catalunya), Laura Ballarín (European Parliament) and Sonia Fuertes (Barcelona City Council) to examine different regulatory strategies at both European and international level.
The debate addressed issues such as limiting minors’ access to social media, as well as the challenges associated with age verification. It also highlighted the need for effective legislative protection of children while avoiding models based on mass surveillance.
A closing focused on children’s digital rights
With these sessions, the 1st Global Digital Rights Forum, promoted by the Government of Spain and Mobile World Capital Barcelona within the framework of the Digital Rights Observatory, came to a close after two days during which more than 100 leading speakers shared their reflections and contributions.
The forum has established itself as a landmark event, positioning Barcelona as an international hub for digital rights, where key issues such as data protection and privacy, the regulation of Artificial Intelligence, algorithmic transparency, cybersecurity, and the protection of children’s rights and vulnerable groups in the digital environment were debated over the course of two days.
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