The European Youth Event 2025 (EYE2025) was launched on Friday 13 June. The two-day event brings together thousands of young people from all over the European Union at the European Parliament in Strasbourg and the EYE Village, coordinated by the European Youth Forum, to take part in debates, workshops and artistic performances designed to strengthen the links between young citizens and European decision-makers.
The European Commissioner for Intergenerational Equity, Youth, Culture and Sport, Glenn Micallef, opened the conference with a speech on the mental health of young people in the digital age.
“I am convinced that this is one of the greatest challenges of this decade. It’s about protecting the mental health of our children and young people. This is particularly the case online in a digital environment”, he said, calling for a collective response to the explosion in cyberbullying, an issue also raised just over a month ago at the Youth Council on 12 May (see EUROPE 13638/4).
According to the Commission, one young person in six reports having been subject to online harassment, and one in eight admits to having been the perpetrator. “Between 2022 and 2023, the number of reports increased by a third. This phenomenon has devastating effects on mental and physical well-being at a key period in life”, the Commissioner said.
In response, Glenn Micallef has announced the development of a European action plan against cyberbullying, based on an inventory of existing best practice in the Member States.
He is also planning an EU-wide awareness-raising campaign, further work with the major digital platforms and the promotion of alternatives to screen time, notably through sport and culture.
Youth Policy Dialogues. A few days ago, the European Commission published a summary report on the ‘Youth Policy Dialogues’ held during the first hundred days of its mandate.
To see the report, go to https://aeur.eu/f/hbw
Young people from all the Member States have expressed their concerns, and mental health appears to be an issue that transcends all aspects of their lives, as it is linked to education, the digital environment and social inclusion.
Participants called for better prevention from an early age, easier access to psychological support services and stricter regulation of digital platforms.
Child labour. The day before EYE2025, Commissioner Micallef also spoke at the World Day Against Child Labour. In a statement expressing the urgent need for action, the Commissioner said that “every child trapped in work is a promise betrayed, a future stolen”.
He recalled the role of the EU strategy on the rights of the child and urged holistic action, with decent wages for adults, access to quality education, reinforced social protection and more labour inspections within supply chains in partner countries.
For more information on EYE2025, visit https://aeur.eu/f/hc3 (Original version in French by Nithya Paquiry)