Children and young people are increasingly reliant on
the Internet for their everyday lives. They communicate,
share and collaborate online; use it to learn and play; and
recognize its importance for their adult working lives.
Considering their increasing access, agency and autonomy
in using content and services, their protection as a
vulnerable group needs to be coupled with their education
as emerging citizens to ensure they develop a healthy
and positive relationship regarding the Internet. Their
general well-being, participation in society and prospects
of employment greatly depend on media and information
literacy (MIL) as the new set of basic skills for the twenty-
first century, where computational thinking interface
with the rich and diverse “cultures of information” (news,
data, documents, codes and so on).
This paper examines education and its digital transition,
mindful of the post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals
(SDGs) of the United Nations. It discusses a variety
of perspectives and trends, arguing that the future of
education should be part of the global debate on Internet
governance. It posits that Internet governance offers a
new form of legitimacy for children and young people
to go beyond their current “protected” status. Active
participation in Internet governance can empower them
to become actors in policy deliberations. This can be
achieved by developing a “frontier” field integrating
existing Internet studies with MIL, redefined to comprise
Internet governance principles, protocols and processes.
This new field can be integrated into the school curriculum
as a key discipline. Such a digital transition from education
2.0 (where information and communication technology
[ICT] are support tools) to education 3.0 (where MIL
and Internet governance are the new basics) can provide
children with competencies for cooperation, creativity and
social innovation. It can also nurture their human rights
and understanding of shared values, which, in turn, will
help to build more inclusive societies.
