Event highlights
From online risks to healthier digital environments for children and young people
Digital technologies are an integral part of children’s and adolescents’ lives. They offer opportunities to learn, create, communicate and connect – but the digital environment can also affect sleep, emotional well-being, attention, social relationships and how young people see themselves.
On 3 September 2026, senior government officials, international partners, experts and young people came together in Chișinău for the High-Level Policy Dialogue on Online Safety and the Digital Determinants of Mental Health and Emotional Well-being of Children and Adolescents. Organized by the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Moldova and the WHO Regional Office for Europe under the auspices of the Presidency of the Republic of Moldova and co-funded by the European Union, the dialogue marked an important step towards translating growing concern about children’s digital lives into concrete policy options.
The event brought together Mrs Maia Sandu, President of the Republic of Moldova; Mrs Mirabela Grădinaru, First Lady of Romania; Alexandru Gasnaș, Minister of Health of the Republic of Moldova; Natasha Azzopardi Muscat, Director of Health Systems, WHO/Europe; Iwona Piórko, Ambassador of the European Union to the Republic of Moldova, representatives of United Nations agencies, national and international experts, and young people.
Protecting children in digital environments requires shared responsibility
Opening the dialogue, President Maia Sandu emphasized that children’s lives increasingly extend across both physical and digital environments and that protecting their mental health cannot be achieved through restrictions alone. “We made children’s safety and mental health in the digital age a priority based on a simple reality: a large part of their lives now takes place online and screens directly influence their attention, emotions and how they see themselves,” President Sandu said.
“The problem is not technology itself, but the mechanisms that can negatively affect children’s development. Therefore, protecting their mental health requires close involvement from families, schools, the health system, public authorities and digital companies. We need clear prevention mechanisms, practical support and rapid and confidential access to help children experiencing difficulties.”
Minister Alexandru Gasnaș stressed that online safety should increasingly be viewed as a public health issue. “It is not enough to count the hours children spend in front of screens. What matters is what children do online, who they interact with and, importantly, how platforms and algorithms are designed to capture their attention,” he said. “We cannot simply say that technology is good or bad, or attribute mental health problems solely to social media. The reality is much more complex. We need shared responsibility across families, schools, the health system, public authorities and technology platforms. If we do not act now, we will have to intervene later, when the problems may be much harder to address.”
First Lady Mirabela Grădinaru emphasized that protecting children in the digital environment cannot be left to families alone. “Technology is a valuable tool for education and connection, but without guidance and protective measures it can become harmful. Children move naturally between the physical and digital worlds and it is our responsibility to protect them equally in both,” she said. “Parents cannot carry this responsibility alone. Families need concrete support from institutions, schools, health services and communities to help children navigate an increasingly complex digital environment safely and healthily.”
“WHO’s role is to support countries in turning evidence into concrete policies and action adapted to their national context, bringing together tools, expertise and experience from across the WHO European Region,” said Director Natasha Azzopardi Muscat. “Protecting the mental health and emotional well-being of children and adolescents in the digital environment is an intersectoral challenge. It requires coordinated action across health, education, child protection and the digital sector.”
Nothing about young people without young people
Young people themselves were at the centre of the dialogue, bringing their experiences and expectations directly into the policy discussion. “For my generation, the digital environment is not separate from real life – it is part of it,” said Mirela Mariniuc, an 11th-grade student from Nisporeni. “It is where we learn, communicate, find information, discover new things and express ourselves. But at the same time, the online environment can create pressure.”
She emphasized that solutions should not be developed without young people themselves. “I would not want the internet to be seen only as a problem. For us, it is an extraordinary source of inspiration and a space where we can learn, create and discover opportunities. The solution is therefore not to build a digital environment without us, but together with us.”
Turning evidence into policy
WHO/Europe brought expertise from across the European Region to Chișinău to support the Republic of Moldova in considering evidence-informed approaches to protecting children’s and adolescents’ mental health and well-being in digital environments.
Experts from Belgium, Czechia, Finland, France and Poland shared national experiences and lessons on digital well-being, mental health, public policy and institutional responses to online challenges.
Discussions were informed by WHO/Europe’s policy brief on the digital determinants of young people’s mental health and well-being. The evidence shows that the relationship between digital technology use and mental health is complex and bidirectional, and varies according to age, context and individual vulnerabilities.
Among the priority areas highlighted are recognizing digital well-being as a national public health priority; addressing potentially harmful platform design features; strengthening the capacity of health workers to provide guidance on healthy technology use; meaningfully involving young people in policy-making; investing in attractive offline alternatives; and holding commercial actors accountable for the impact of digital products and practices on children and young people.
A draft national policy framework, “Safe and Healthy Digital Environments for Children and Adolescents”, was presented for discussion and consultation during the event.
The proposed framework places children’s rights, meaningful participation and equity at the heart of future interventions. Policy options discussed include strengthening legislation and regulation for digital environments; increasing platform accountability; promoting healthy and balanced technology use; developing clear, age-appropriate school policies; integrating online safety, digital literacy, critical thinking and mental health promotion into education; preventing and responding to cyberbullying and other forms of online violence; expanding accessible offline activities; and improving access to mental health counselling and support.
Participants also discussed the importance of age-appropriate approaches. The digital needs and vulnerabilities of a preschool child differ significantly from those of an adolescent, meaning that guidance on technology use, sleep, online safety, social relationships and access to support must reflect different stages in children’s development.
Making the digital world work for children
The policy dialogue moved the conversation from identifying risks towards considering practical, evidence-informed solutions for the Republic of Moldova. The central message was clear: responsibility for children’s safety and well-being online cannot rest with children and parents alone. Governments, health and education systems, families, communities, digital platforms and other actors all have a role to play in creating digital environments in which children can benefit from technology without compromising their health, rights and well-being.
As the Republic of Moldova takes this work forward, WHO will continue to provide evidence, technical expertise and experience from across the European Region to support national partners in identifying solutions that are feasible, equitable and adapted to the country’s context.
The dialogue was supported through the “Health Resilience in the Eastern Partnership” programme, funded by the European Union through the Directorate-General for Enlargement and Eastern Neighbourhood. Through the project, WHO supports Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine in strengthening health-system resilience, with a particular focus on mental health and health workforce capacity.