Page 25 - KNJIGA SAŽETAKA

INOVACIJE I IZAZOVI U OBRAZOVANJU I SESTRINSKOJ SKRBI - KNJIGA SAŽETAKA

Caught between Tik Tok and the school playgroundm – digital
technology in the life of young people in the Republic of Croatia

The impact of digital technology on the lives and development of children and young people is
the subject of numerous polarizing public debates ranging from ‘the moral panic’ and calls for
bans to advocacy of unrestricted use from a very early age. The voice of children and young
people is rarely included in public, professional and scientific forums. Although insufficiently
included, this voice is crucial for understanding the practices and perspectives of current
generations.

In the lecture „Caught between Tik-Tok and the School Playground – Digital Technology in
the Life of Young People in the Republic of Croatia“, the results of research on the experiences
of children and young people in the digital environment and their views on the impact of digital
technologies on lives and society will be presented. In the research, financed by the Croatian
Science Foundation, more than 16,000 fifth and seventh grade elementary school students and
third grade secondary school schools from 165 Croatian schools participated. Special emphasis
in the lecture is devoted to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the time spent in the
digital environment and the structure of the activities of students of different generations. Data
on the perception of the impact of digital technologies on learning and education, but also on
other important parts of young people’s lives, such as friendships, family relationships and
falling in love, will also be presented.

Key words: digital technologies, Tik-Tok, youth, learning and education

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