Vodafone Foundation launches digital literacy project for children

The Vodafone Foundation, in collaboration with the Community Volunteers Foundation (TOG), has launched the ‘Dijital Dostum’ (Digital Friend) project to improve digital literacy and safety among children. The initiative targets primary and middle school students aged 8 to 14, aiming to help them use digital technologies more safely, consciously, and in a balanced manner.

In its first year, the project intends to reach 5,000 students across seven provinces, including Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, Hatay, Bitlis, Samsun, and Diyarbakır. The educational workshops will be facilitated by trained youth volunteers from TOG, who will lead interactive sessions to teach children about digital boundaries, privacy, cyberbullying, and safe online decision-making.

Hasan Süel, President of Vodafone Foundation Turkey, noted that research indicates children and young people face unprecedented digital risks. This is supported by findings from a Global Vodafone Foundation study conducted with Save the Children across nine European countries, which revealed that only one in four young people rates their digital quality of life as good, with many experiencing issues such as sleep disorders and high stress levels.