The education system can't cope with the reality of young people's digital lives

Online spaces are complex, influential and potentially dangerous — but the education system still treats tech like an optional extra

Across the country, students are facing online harassment, extreme comparison culture, targeted algorithms, and exposure to violent or disturbing material — often long before they have the maturity or tools to process it. 

As a young person living in Ireland today, I can say with certainty that our schools are not preparing us for the digital world we actually live in. Every day, students are navigating online spaces that are complex, influential, and sometimes dangerous — yet our education system still behaves as if technology is an optional extra rather than the environment young people spend most of their time in. 

While classrooms continue to focus on maths, history, and science, we are left without the essential digital skills we urgently need: how to protect our mental health online, how to identify misinformation, how to respond to cyberbullying, and how to stay safe from harmful or disturbing content.