The 3CL Foundation today hosted the Young People's Summit: Young People, Digital Citizenship and the Media, bringing together policymakers, educators, and journalists to discuss how young people can navigate an increasingly complex digital environment. Chaired by Alex Grech, the summit featured speakers Nina Shengelia, Paula Gori, Victoria Vdovychenko, and Maia Klaasen, who each addressed the growing need for stronger media literacy and accountability in the face of rising misinformation and disinformation online.

The event examined how digital technologies, social media, and artificial intelligence are reshaping the way information is shared and consumed, often at a speed that legal and educational systems struggle to match. Opening the discussion, Nina Shengelia highlighted that it has become increasingly difficult to distinguish between authentic and fabricated information, with social media platforms often failing to take adequate responsibility for the spread of false or misleading content. She argued that collaboration between journalists, policymakers, and educators is crucial to address these challenges, while also emphasising the importance of education and self-development in creating informed digital citizens.

However, much of the discussion was defined by the contributions of Estonian media literacy expert Maia Klaasen, who urged a deeper understanding of digital citizenship beyond the ability to simply use technology. "Just because you know how to use something doesn't mean you know how to use its full potential," she said, stressing that young people must be trained not only to consume information, but to critically analyse and evaluate it. Drawing from Estonia's experience, Klaasen explained that media literacy is included in the country's national curriculum, helping students identify misinformation and understand how online content is shaped by algorithms and external influences. Despite Estonia's strong ranking in international media literacy indices, she admitted that no country is immune to misinformation. "Media literacy alone will not save the world," she remarked. "It is a necessary tool in a wider effort to build resilience against disinformation."

Klaasen warned that the structure of the online environment itself makes informed engagement increasingly difficult. She said that social media platforms are designed by "the best neuroscientists in the world" to capture users' attention rather than inform them, forming part of what she called the "attention economy". "Our attention is the commodity," she explained. "There is no financial incentive to keep people informed, only entertained." She pointed out how even streaming services have adapted their content to cater for shorter attention spans, making it easier for viewers to multitask while watching. "Nobody cares if you focus or if you feel good," she said. "The system only cares about showing advertisers how long you stayed on the screen."

For Klaasen, awareness must start with self-reflection. She encouraged young people to "slow down" and "unbecome zombie doomscrollers", arguing that real understanding begins by paying attention to what we see before attempting to fact-check it. "We already have the knowledge," she said, "but we need to change our habits."

Klaasen went on to share examples of grassroots projects in Estonia that demonstrate how young people can lead positive change when given trust and responsibility. One such initiative, the Digital Blunder Wall, began as a university project where students and residents anonymously confessed their online mistakes on a physical wall made from recycled phone covers. "It showed that we've all done something silly online," she said. "It doesn't mean we're stupid - it means we need to become more aware." The project later expanded to museums and public spaces, encouraging open discussion about digital behaviour and accountability.

Another youth-led project, the TikTok House, was created to raise awareness about privacy and data issues on the social media platform. Installed in Estonia's Christmas markets, the mirrored house displayed verified facts about TikTok's data practices, encouraging visitors to record short videos reflecting on what they had learned. Despite a modest €500 advertising budget, the project reached over 1.5 million people. Klaasen highlighted it as proof that youth-led initiatives can have significant impact when given freedom and support.

She also described a peer-to-peer training scheme in which university students delivered workshops on media literacy to over 5,000 secondary school pupils. Participants were compensated through academic credits or stipends, ensuring that the programme was sustainable and fair. "We have to trust young people," Klaasen said. "They can connect better with their peers than we ever could."

Her approach also includes early childhood education. In collaboration with teachers, Klaasen's team created offline games that teach children as young as five about online safety and trust - including how to avoid scams in games such as Roblox and recognise when not to speak to strangers. Kindergarten teachers were later trained to apply the same principles in the classroom, reaching more than 10,000 children across the country. "We use taxpayer money to make these programmes free to replicate," she noted. "Knowledge must trickle down."

Klaasen also emphasised the importance of intergenerational learning, describing workshops where young people taught grandparents and older neighbours to navigate the internet safely. She pointed out that while older Estonian citizens, particularly Russian speakers, are often labelled as vulnerable to disinformation, they are capable of adapting when properly supported. "If we say that people cannot change, why have education at all?" she asked.

Concluding her remarks, Klaasen encouraged educators and policymakers to share responsibility rather than control. "The definition of the problem should not come from us but from them," she said, referring to young people. "Sometimes the only outcome is that people feel less fatalistic about what is happening online - and that is also a victory."

As the panel drew to a close, the speakers collectively underlined that combating misinformation requires education, awareness, and collaboration across generations. While Shengelia reiterated the need for greater accountability from social media platforms, Klaasen's message resonated most strongly - that meaningful change will only come when young people are empowered to take ownership of their digital environments and lead by example in shaping a more informed and responsible online world. The Young People's Summit: Young People, Digital Citizenship and the Media will continue until tomorrow, 8th November.