Let’s Act Now: Reflections from the Digital Citizenship Education Forum in Strasbourg

This week, I had the opportunity to attend the Digital Citizenship Education Forum: Let’s Act Now! in Strasbourg, hosted by the Council of Europe as part of the European Year of Digital Citizenship Education 2025. The event brought together educators, policymakers, researchers, and representatives from civil society and industry to explore how we can empower learners to become responsible, engaged, and ethical digital citizens.

Why Digital Citizenship Matters More Than Ever

As educators, we see first-hand how rapidly the digital landscape is evolving — and how it’s shaping our learners’ lives both inside and outside the classroom. The forum made it clear that digital citizenship education (DCE) is no longer a “nice to have” — it’s essential. From critical thinking and media literacy to online safety and ethical use of technology, our pupils need the skills to navigate digital spaces with confidence and care.

Key Takeaways from the Forum

1. Empowering Learners Through Education

There was strong emphasis on giving young people the tools to become active and informed participants in digital society. This goes beyond e-safety – it’s about helping students engage critically with digital content, understand their rights online, and use technology to positively influence their communities.

2. A Collaborative Effort

Another powerful message from the forum was the importance of cross-sector collaboration. Schools can’t do this alone. Policymakers, tech platforms, parents, and young people themselves all have a role to play. The forum’s roadmap for 2027–2031 outlines a vision for embedding DCE across educational systems in Europe, with clear actions for integrating DCE into curricula and national policies.

3. Practical Tools and Resources

One of the most valuable aspects of the event was the chance to explore practical resources, including the Council of Europe’s dedicated DCE for Educators platform (coe.int/dce-for-educators). It offers ready-to-use teaching materials, lesson plans, and guidance to support teachers in embedding digital citizenship in everyday classroom practice.

Another standout is the Digital Citizenship Education Handbook (PDF link), which provides a comprehensive framework for understanding and implementing DCE. It introduces the “Digital Competences for Democratic Culture” model, offering educators a structured way to develop pupils’ digital engagement, responsibility, and resilience.

Spotlight on the Virtual Exhibition of Resources

The forum also hosted a Virtual Exhibition of Resources (available online) showcasing inspiring educational materials from across Europe and beyond. It was encouraging to see Computing at School (CAS) resources included in the exhibition, alongside contributions from other organisations working to develop pupils’ digital agency and understanding.

The exhibition offers a rich collection of tools that support digital citizenship from early years through to secondary education, covering themes like disinformation, online ethics, digital storytelling, and rights in digital environments. It’s well worth exploring if you’re looking to enrich your teaching or connect with other educators working in this space.

Bringing This Back to the Classroom

Leaving the forum, I felt energised and inspired – but also aware of the work ahead. Here are some things I’m thinking about:

• Start small – pick one area of DCE, like online reputation or digital empathy, and build it into an existing lesson or PSHE discussion.

• Use the tools available – explore the resources from the Council of Europe and share them with colleagues.

• Involve pupils – give students a voice in how digital citizenship is discussed and taught in your school.

• Connect with others – join national and European networks that are working on DCE. There’s strength in shared practice.

Final Thoughts

The forum’s title, Let’s Act Now!, couldn’t be more fitting. If we want to equip our pupils to thrive in a digital world — as learners, citizens, and future leaders — we need to embed digital citizenship in our teaching today.

Let’s act now, together.