Macssas, a project that aims to promote the conscious and safe use of technology, has spent this course 740 sessions with students, 102 with families and 39 with teachers, in Hego Euskal Herria and Zaragoza. It publishes the conclusions drawn.

In Elementary, playing at Call Of Duty

Primary (children between 6 and 12 years of age) has increased the use of smartphones, social networks and online games. “Most use WhatsApp, on their phones or in their families, and most of them play games that are not yet recommended for their age, often in recommended games for those over the age of 16 or 18.” The most successful: Among Us (+10), Fortnite (+12), Brawl Stars (+10) GTA (+18) and Call Of Duty (+18). “In most online games we can play with strangers, which can lead to great problems: inadequate approaches of strangers, sexual content and inadequate attitudes, listening to adult conversations…”.

At level 6 most have their own Smartphone and at level 5 about half. At 4th Primary, fewer people have their own Smartphone, “but there are many.”

The purchase of pornographic material is common. “Although in most cases they don’t seek it, it comes to them.”

The uncontrolled use of digital devices worries the faculty, according to macsmiles.

Dependence and obsession with ESO

The project has also concluded that ESO students (12-16 year-olds) overuse screens. “When we ask about the daily average of screens, most teens have no objection to saying they use them between 4 hours a day and 5 to 7 hours on weekends. Teachers are very concerned about the detection of real dependency frames, and in many centers they are also concerned about the obsession with child pornography.”

“Social networks, especially WhatsApp, are used unconsciously and often chaotic. In digital communication we have detected a large increase in toxic attitudes, such as the normalization of toxic comments and digital assaults, digital control in pairs and ghosting”.

In high school, it is said that distribution is clear between those who highly value privacy and those who are willing to do anything to gain fame on social media.

And a big worry. “Many teenagers have recognized us that they make bets online.”

What do they control a lot? False

They have also highlighted the widespread lack of knowledge about the use of technology. “Although teens and their families find that teens have a lot of control, the reality is that they use it in a very basic way and they don’t know how to use it in a deeper way. For example, they use social media to send messages and create posts, but they don't know how to protect them, they don't know the possibilities that social media offers them and they don't know how to harness them. Teenagers don’t know that the law also applies on the internet.”

After the courses, many adolescents tell them that they have suffered theft of accounts, fraud, identity replacements, digital assaults, digital harassment, dissemination of private information, dissemination of images and threats without authorization. “It seems to us that many adolescents are suffering many crimes tacitly. Misinformation is a big problem.”

Concrete recommendations have also been made to schools and families. Basically, set deadlines and time limits for use and talk much more together about all these issues.