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our reporter tan lun reports from beijing

"today, whether it is payment transactions or obtaining information, the internet has become an indispensable part of our daily social life. therefore, we should not still view cyberspace in a 'virtual' way and try to avoid or reject its existence."

on september 12, 2024, the youth blue book: china's internet usage report for minors (2024) (hereinafter referred to as "youth blue book"), jointly sponsored by the institute of journalism and communication of the chinese academy of social sciences, the china social sciences academic press and china business news, held a new book launch in beijing. many experts, scholars and educators attended the event and participated in discussions on related issues. during the event, mou chengmei, deputy director of the network information and intelligent media research office of the institute of journalism and communication of the chinese academy of social sciences and executive editor of the youth blue book, first proposed a different view on the "virtual" positioning of the internet, believing that the internet is no longer a "virtual world" but has been integrated into people's daily lives.

family is the first line of defense

combining her rich educational experience, mou chengmei first discussed the current situation of teenagers’ internet use and the guiding role of parents in their use of the internet.

when talking about the phenomenon of young people getting information from short video platforms, mou chengmei believes that this is actually a natural reaction of young people to adapt to the new media environment. she mentioned that parents and society often assume that traditional media such as television are the orthodox channels for obtaining news, but in fact, the internet has changed the way information is disseminated. young people get news through platforms such as douyin, which is a way that suits their growth environment.

"they have been exposed to the internet since they were born. this is their way of life. we have to accept it and embrace it." mou chengmei pointed out. at the same time, many new media platforms have gradually assumed social responsibilities while providing entertainment content. official agencies and media have also entered these platforms. this shows that internet information platforms are developing in a more positive direction.

when discussing the regulation of parents on teenagers' internet use, mou chengmei pointed out that parents' education level is not always proportional to their internet literacy. she cited herself as an example, saying that although she did not grow up in the internet age, she was able to reach a consensus with her children on internet use through self-study.

she stressed that the family is the first line of defense for the healthy use of the internet by teenagers. she called on parents to not only improve their own internet literacy, but also learn to communicate effectively with their children. mou chengmei mentioned a successful case of family education: the father is responsible for controlling the children's entertainment time, and the mother guides the children on how to protect privacy. this good family education model enables children to use the internet in a healthy and reasonable manner.

mou chengmei concluded that family education has three key elements in teenagers' internet use: safety, negotiation and supervision. first, parents should ensure their children's internet safety, especially privacy protection. second, parents should negotiate internet use rules with their children instead of taking coercive measures. she particularly mentioned that teenagers' desire for autonomy often makes coercive measures counterproductive. finally, appropriate supervision is essential, but it should be based on respect and trust.

she also pointed out that many parents only take extreme measures to cut off their children's internet connection when their children's grades drop or problems arise, which makes their children feel disrespected. therefore, parents should negotiate in advance and develop a reasonable internet use plan.

schools and society should strengthen cooperation

in addition to family education, mou chengmei further emphasized that schools should also play a greater role in cultivating young people's internet literacy. she pointed out that although schools now offer information technology courses, the content of internet ethics and moral education is not systematic enough. she suggested that schools should introduce more systematic courses to help students better understand the moral norms of the internet society.

at the same time, she believes that schools should teach internet literacy in a way that is more suitable for teenagers. for example, many students no longer watch news on tv, but get information through mainstream internet platforms such as "cctv video". schools should respect and adapt to this media usage habit.

in addition, mou chengmei called on schools to provide students with more social practice opportunities so that they can experience and learn in real life. in her opinion, such practical activities can enable students to have a more three-dimensional cognition when facing the internet and cultivate their sense of social responsibility.

when talking about the social responsibility, mou chengmei said that society still has a lot of work to do to guide young people to use the internet in a healthy way. for example, although internet cafes and other entertainment venues around schools will be inspected during the city creation work, the school itself has no power to interfere with the operation of these venues, and the intervention of law enforcement agencies is also difficult.

therefore, she emphasized that all sectors of society should strengthen cooperation, especially in network governance and internet environment construction, and provide a healthier network environment for young people. mou chengmei believes that through the joint efforts of society, family and school, young people can grow up healthily on the internet.

"the best time to plant a tree is ten years ago, the second best time is now." finally, mou chengmei quoted this widely circulated saying and pointed out that since 2006, the society's attention and efforts to the internet issues of young people have achieved remarkable results. looking to the future, mou chengmei believes that today's discussions and actions will create a better environment for the future use of the internet by young people and help them better integrate into the internet era.

(editor: wu qing, reviewer: li zhenghao, proofreader: yan jingning)