I had the pleasure of participating in the High-Level Conference “Listening to Children and Young People – Challenges in Challenging Settings," organised by the Irish Presidency of the Council of the European Union in Dublin.
The conference brought together children and young people, policymakers, government representatives, academics and child rights experts from across Europe to discuss how children can be meaningfully involved in decisions that affect their lives, particularly in challenging situations.
For me, it was a very valuable experience, especially because young people were not only invited to participate, but were also given opportunities to speak directly with decision-makers, present our ideas and take an active role throughout the conference.
A busy and enriching two days!
I had the opportunity to take part in the opening session, where I joined a discussion with European Commissioner Michael McGrath. This was once in a lifetime experience for me! It was encouraging to see children and young people actively involved from the very beginning of the conference rather than simply attending as observers.
On the following day, together with Maribela and Nadine, I also presented the work of the EU Children’s Participation Platform and highlighted one of the changes we would like to see: making sure children receive meaningful feedback after sharing their views.
Discussing social media bans
For part of the conference, children and adults followed separate programmes. While policymakers, government officials and experts took part in their own sessions, young delegates participated in interactive consultations designed specifically to give them space to discuss issues from their own perspective.
One of these consultations focused on the ongoing debate around possible social media bans for children under the age of 16. As I have always cared deeply about children’s rights, discussing such sensitive restrictions was especially meaningful to me.
It was also inspiring to see other young participants invited to share their views on whether such restrictions would actually improve children’s online safety and what other measures could be considered.
The discussion looked at how the European Union can create a safer digital environment while also respecting children’s rights to participation, information and freedom of expression.
Rather than seeing a simple ban as the only solution, many young people emphasised the importance of better digital education and greater responsibility from online platforms.
Child participation principles in action
On the second day, the outcomes of the children’s consultation, together with the changes identified during the previous sessions, were presented to all conference delegates. This gave policymakers and experts an opportunity to hear directly from young people about online safety, digital participation and children’s rights.
The presentations showed that children can offer thoughtful and practical recommendations when they are given a genuine opportunity to contribute to discussions that affect their lives. Hearing these recommendations alongside the experiences shared throughout the conference also highlighted the value of bringing young people and decision-makers together in the same room.
Overall, the conference reinforced that meaningful child participation is about much more than simply asking children for their opinions.
It means creating safe and supportive spaces where they can express their views, making sure those views are genuinely heard and taken into account, and providing feedback so that children can see what happened as a result of their participation.
It was a pleasure to take part in a conference that put these principles on show. That is what allows children to have a real impact on the decisions and policies that affect their lives.
About Gabrielius
Gabrielius comes from Lithuania and he cares deeply about defending democracy and children’s rights. He has been involved with the Platform since 2023 as a member of the Children’s Panel and Advisory Board. Since 2025, Gabrielius continues supporting us as part of the Rise and Reflect alumni group.