Génération Numérique: 20 years teaching children about the Internet

[Dimaeiya333]

As governments grapple with how to regulate the internet and social media, and online bullying and misinformation spread like wildfire, teaching our children to successfully navigate the digital world is more important than ever. In France, the Association Génération Numérique has been working with educators, children, teenagers and parents for 20 years to demystify the internet and social media for children and tackle the issues of online bullying and harassment. Last week, Kolsquare accompanied Génération Numérique to a series of workshops in secondary schools to learn more about their work. Read on to see how the day unfolded.


It's a hot day in early summer. The 350 pupils aged 11 to 15 at this recently renovated middle school in rural Normandy are finishing their exams and looking forward to the long summer holidays.

However, before the end of the year, half of them will attend workshops led by Génération Numérique , a French association with 20 years of experience in educating children about the Internet: how it works, what it can be used for, the myths and realities of social networks, online bullying , its consequences and how to combat it.

In today's programme, presenter Sami Charfi will lead three sessions for around 75 12-year-olds, looking at data collection, storage and privacy, internet uses, the dangers of spending too much time in front of a screen, gaming addiction and bullying.

It’s a lot of ground to cover, but with 12 years’ experience in workshops for Génération Numérique , Charfi is more than up to the task. As the day progresses, it becomes clear that he is a digital expert, equally passionate about his subject and the wellbeing of the students he teaches.

Charfi, a skilled speaker, makes children laugh from the start. He holds their attention with humour, personal anecdotes, empathy and a clear command of the facts. He conveys his message firmly and respectfully.

Widespread use of smartphones and social media by children
Questions to the class about who owns a smartphone (all of them) and which social networks they are active on are revealing of the world we live in. Half of the group has an electronic device in their room , everyone uses Snapchat, half TikTok, and one child claims to have accounts on almost all social networks: Twitter, Discord, Telegram, Twitch, YouTube, WhatsApp and Facebook.

Charfi raises his hand when he has an account too, and has a quick explanation for most platforms:

Facebook : “Hello Veterans!”

Telegram: “It was created by Russian hackers.”

Twitter: «Being polite is forbidden on Twitter. I once tweeted 'Bonjour' and rece canadian ceo email database ived a torrent of insults.»

Clearly relaxed, a girl with a long dark ponytail and a red summer dress raises her hand.

"Sir, I used to have a smartphone, but not anymore."

"What happened, did they punish you?"

"Yes, I did something stupid," the girl replies, her face increasingly red.

"When will you get it back?"

"When I'm 20," he laughs.

"Wow! That must have been a giant stupidity!" Charfi replies to everyone's laughter.

The class's interest is heightened. They whisper behind their hands and ask, "What happened?" "Why did you lose your phone?" Charfi rushes to silence the chatter.

"No matter what she's done, it's none of our business. She's not obliged to tell us anything she doesn't want to," he rebukes.