The High Level Panel titled "Strengthening the Family Institution with Value-Oriented Policies in the Digital Age", which took place on the last day of the 42nd COMCEC Ministerial Meeting held in Istanbul, was opened. At the opening, Minister of Family and Social Services Mahinur Özdemir Göktaş gave a speech including the topics of digitalization and screen addiction, algorithms and the importance of family.
'THE CHILD'S WORLD IS SHAPED BY SCREENS'
Minister Göktaş said, "Every great transformation has reshaped the life of humanity. The printing press has increased the information, industrial production has expanded, and the digital age has carried the transformation into our homes, into the world of our children. A child's world is now shaped by screens. In the past, we used to warn our children about the dangers of the street, against strangers. Now, that street extends into the rooms, with a screen in that stranger child's pocket, under his pillow. Now the danger is not in the unfamiliar streets, but directly in our homes. Algorithms know our children better than we do, but they see them like us." "Today, technology companies are making a huge effort to attract people's attention and keep them in front of the screen for longer periods of time. Our children are also the target of this competition. Digitalization directly affects our family life and privacy. Even though we sit at the same table, we no longer chat with each other because of the screens. Instead of asking questions to their mothers and fathers, children ask questions directly to the tablets, screens, and artificial intelligence in their hands, and unfortunately, our young people directly compare their own lives with their perfect lives on the screens."
'WE HAVE DECREASING CHILDREN'S VOICES AS OUR HOUSEHOLDS ARE SHRINKING'
Minister Göktaş said, "Unfortunately, while our households are getting smaller every year, we have fewer and fewer children's voices in our homes. These are not disconnected paintings, but actually different faces of the same change. Will others write the values of this age, or will we? Our civilization has something to say to this question. The word algorithm, which directs our digital life today, comes from the name of Harezmi, one of the great scholars of the Islamic civilization. Our civilization, which gave its name to the algorithm, can also direct our future with its values; because our tradition does not separate knowledge from morality, and reason from conscience. This understanding is digital. çağa taşıyan üç temel değerimiz var. Emanet, hikmet ve sorumluluk. Emanet; çocuklarımız bize emanettir. Onları korumak, haklarını gözetmek ve gelişimlerini desteklemek hepimizin ortak sorumluluğudur. Hikmet; hızla değişen dünyada çocuklarımıza doğru yolu göstermek, onları bu hıza yetişmeni yetişmesini sağlamaktan da geçer. Üçüncüsü sorumluluk, teknolojiyi geliştirenler ürettikleri ürünleri çocukların hayatını nasıl etkilediğinden de sorumludur. Bakanlık olarak aileyi güçlendirmek sosyal politikalarımızın her zaman merkezinde yer almıştır. Aile bireylerinin dijital araçları doğru ve bilinçli kullanmalarına yönelik çalışmalar yürütüyoruz; çünkü dijital "The most effective firewall in this age is not technology, but the conscious individual, strong family and responsible society," he said.
'WE BROUGHT CHILDREN'S DIGITAL SAFETY TO THE GLOBAL AGENDA'
Göktaş said, "Once upon a time, the knowledge rising from Baghdad, Samarkand and Cordoba would guide the world. Today, the same knowledge can lead the digital age. The way to do this is by sharing our experiences, because an application developed in Ankara can also protect a child in Jakarta. When we bring together our good practices, the gain of a country becomes the common gain of all of us. As Turkey, we took the first steps on this path. We implemented a regulation in April, and also hosted an international meeting. Again, the United States "We brought the digital safety of children to the global agenda at the UN in September. Our draft resolution on the protection of young people in digital games and social media was accepted at the 48th Islamic Commission in Jeddah this year. We are very pleased with this, and I would like to thank all the countries and everyone who supported us," he said.
'WE CAN DIRECT THESE ALGORITHMS'
Göktaş said, "With the initiative of our country, the 10th year of family and population was also declared within the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. Now, we propose to establish a common digital security mechanism within the Organization of Islamic Cooperation for our children. The Islamic world, with its population of approximately 2 billion and its young and dynamic population structure, actually has the power to be one of the founders of this world. We have to realize this potential. Therefore, we have an object and potential that not only consumes digital content, but also produces content directly. There are those who shape the algorithms. We too "We can redirect these algorithms in favor of our children, our families, and in favor of women. I wholeheartedly believe that we can direct both artificial intelligence and digital media not only as consumers but also as direct actors, as long as each of our countries within the Organization of Islamic Cooperation acts with this common responsibility, not with the effort of a single country."
'WE HAVE A YOUNG AND DYNAMIC POPULATION STRUCTURE'
Finally, Minister Göktaş said, "We have a young and dynamic population structure and we have young people who really have this potential. I would like to express in particular that it is time for us to prioritize these areas. We can direct these digital structures going in one direction with a vision that centers the family and the safety of our children. Ultimately, it is still people who shape the algorithms. Therefore, we have to be pioneers in these issues."
