Interview with Calista (18) from Spain
We discussed in this thread how Australia and Britain have restricted social media registration for young people under 16. Last year, there was a rather controversial debate and story in Czech media about a young (I believe 17 year old) student who took her own life without her mother knowing why. This is one of the reasons I started creating similar conversations and opening up topics that are taboo for many. For example, suicide. I’m not sure about your countries, but in the Czech Republic, statistics show a growing number of suicides among young people. Ironically, this is often due to social isolation, virtual bullying, or feelings of inadequacy. If you have children aged 10–25 and know they are on social media daily, instead of banning them or taking away their phone, try asking them open-ended questions and avoid judging them. Put yourself in their shoes, growing up in a world where relationships are built digitally first, and only later are they established in real life. This is very different from how we grew up, where we met people in real life first, exchanged phone numbers, and digital connections came second. The good news is that the younger generation is quite aware of this, but they need space to talk about it more and support in their decision to limit or completely leave social media. Without our orders or ultimatums. Enjoy the conversation with 18 year old Caslista from Spain. Play it for your child and try having a conversation with them about their personal feelings based on what they hear.