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Opinions
About Opinions

Take a look at our Opinion series, with individual voices from inside and outside COFACE, providing different perspectives and insights on topics relevant for families of today.

NewsOpinions
OPINION – Sharenting: exercise of parental rights or infringement of privacy?

OPINION – Sharenting: exercise of parental rights or infringement of privacy?

While social media are used for many purposes and from all ages, young people constitute a significant proportion of internet users. Unfortunately, as they engage in online activities they may enter dangerous situations such as cyberbullying, online sexual exploitation and other forms of cybercrimes. But what happens when the parents themselves expose their children to these dangers through actions such as sharing information about their children online under the veil of parenting?

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NewsOpinions
Family members Playing Video Games on sofa
OPINION – Making video games fun for families: the crucial role of family settings awareness

OPINION – Making video games fun for families: the crucial role of family settings awareness

53% of Europe’s population between the ages of 6 and 64 plays video games. And, whilst the average age of a player is 32, many players are children. Europe’s video game companies are dedicated to creating games for everyone to enjoy and, also, importantly, to provide safe, responsible environments for those games to be enjoyed in.

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OPINION – Digital Services Act: New EU rules to protect and empower minors online

OPINION – Digital Services Act: New EU rules to protect and empower minors online

We can show kids and teens the path and we can even make it safer for them, but we can’t always be there to hold their hands nor keep them from going out into the world - and the world wide web. The environments that children are growing up in today are drastically different from the ones that we have known in the past. However, one thing is still the same: children and teens want to follow their curiosities, learn who they are and connect with other kids. Today they can do this from the palm of their hands.

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#Toys&DiversityOpinions
a remote-control wheelchair toy
OPINION: How inclusive toys can help to represent and raise awareness of disabilities

OPINION: How inclusive toys can help to represent and raise awareness of disabilities

Around one in 10 children and young people worldwide have a disability, according to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). Children with disabilities are 51% more likely to feel unhappy and 41% more likely to feel discriminated against than children without disabilities. We believe that representing all children through inclusive toys is hugely powerful.

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OPINION: Struggling to balance life and work? Time policies might be the solution

OPINION: Struggling to balance life and work? Time policies might be the solution

We usually take time for granted, but the way we use our time is shaped by our individual and social circumstances and can lead to inequalities, inefficiencies, and diminished well-being of our society. Public and private initiatives that are put forward in order to address such issues are known as time policies.

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OPINION: Digital Euro = Digital cash?

OPINION: Digital Euro = Digital cash?

The European Commission’s targeted consultation on a digital euro ended on the 16th of June and while the future of our common currency may seem far remote from the concerns of civil society, the stakes are much higher than one might suspect. COFACE-Families Europe answered the consultation underlining the importance of treating money as a public good, and especially, as a vital instrument for citizens to be able to transact freely.

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Digital native kids using digital tablet during science project at home
OPINION: It’s time for the digital generation to actively shape the digital era: a call for child participation from an ‘almost’ digital native

OPINION: It’s time for the digital generation to actively shape the digital era: a call for child participation from an ‘almost’ digital native

As adults, we can feel pretty sure that we know what children need and want. The problem is that we are often wrong. In the DigiGen project focusing on the impact of technological transformation on children and young people, we engaged in research with children and families across Europe.

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