Yanık, the Minister of Family and Social Services, has stated that they have fulfilled the demands in the final declaration published at the National Children's Forum held in November 2021, and said, "Our children asked for it, we did it. We are implementing the Digital Literacy License Project, which includes training activities on digital literacy and safe internet use for our children aged 12-18. We have completed the first phase of the project by providing digital literacy training to 350 children.”.

Derya Yanık, the Minister of Family and Social Services, has stated that they have implemented the Digital Literacy License Project, which includes training activities aimed at raising awareness on safe internet use and digital issues, by fulfilling the demands of children.

Yanık has reminded that every year since 2000 in Turkey, on 20 November, members of Provincial Committee on the Rights of the Child from all provinces have met at the National Children’s Forum in Ankara. Stating that the last meeting of the National Children's Forum, which was held under the coordination of the Ministry of Family and Social Services, was held in November 2021 with the theme of "Child in a Digitalizing World", Yanık has pointed out that a final declaration consisting of the suggestions and demands of children was published in the forum.

Expressing that the declaration included the suggestion to "start a project on Digital Literacy License by Provincial Committees on the Rights of the Child and various institutions/organizations, and to carry out training activities on digital literacy and safe internet in this context", Yanık said that the declaration was also shared with relevant institutions and organizations.

“We aim our children to raise awareness”

Yanık, explaining that activities are carried out in the Ministry of Family and Social Services in line with the declaration published by the children and the Sixth Presidency 180-Day Action Program, has noted:

“We have planned training activities on digital literacy and safe internet by our Provincial Committees on the Rights of the Child and various institutions/organizations. Our children asked for it, we did it. We are implementing the Digital Literacy License Project, which includes training activities on digital literacy and safe internet use for our children aged 12-18. We have completed the first phase of the project by providing digital literacy training to 350 children. We aim for our children to be consciously 'digital literate' as well as to raise awareness around them. With these trainings, we want our children to have knowledge about safe internet use, correct use of social media, cyberbullying, responsibilities in the digital world and digital privacy.”

Digital literacy will be disseminated through “peer teaching” method

Stating that the project is carried out in cooperation with the Information Technologies and Communications Authority, Yanık has said that "trainer training" are given to mostly high school students, including the members of the Child Advisory Board.

Expressing that the training is carried out online, Yanık has stated that the training subjects consist of "digital literacy, safe internet use, digital privacy, digital games, correct use of social media, cyberbullying and responsibilities in the digital world".

Pointing out that the first stage of the project was completed in March, Yanık has said that in the second stage, 350 children who were trained would transfer what they learned to their peers, and thus training would be disseminated.

Explaining that the second phase of the Digital Literacy License Project will be completed by the end of June, Yanık remarked that when the second phase is completed, 1000 children will have been trained and that the training will continue to be disseminated.