At what age do you give your child a smartphone? How do you teach your child to interact with others in a group chat? What if your child is allowed to game much longer at a friend’s house than at home? How do you help your child become resilient against online dangers like hacking and phishing? How do you prepare children for a future with AI? In other words: how do you best support your child in taking their first steps into the digital world? These are some of the questions that Denise Mensonides, together with Peter Nikken and Mandy Oude Veldhuis-Talhout discussed in a panel organized by the Jantina Tammes School at the Forum Groningen on February 4th 2025. Denise explored how children (aged 8–12) experienced the digital world and what challenges they faced. Peter explained the role parents played in guiding their children through this virtual environment, and Mandy shared, from a pedagogical point of view, the differences in parenting between the past and present. The panel discussion sparked a meaningful exchange with parents from Groningen and the surrounding area, who shared their own experiences, challenges, and insights.
