She participated in a debate marking the launch of the second edition of the Internet Safety Guide, hosted by the "Gheorghe Lazăr" National College.

"Your generation is extremely exposed to misinformation, very vulnerable to fake news, manipulation through advertising and aggressive marketing campaigns. Today, we are not talking about the advantages of the Internet; I want to talk about things that are problematic, less healthy for you. (...) I want you to view online misinformation and fake news as genuinely dangerous aspects when it comes to health, safety and the choices you make in life, which you consider to be very important", Gorghiu told the students.

According to her, the Ministry of Justice is addressing several phenomena on the Internet that have a negative impact on the personal development of children, such as hate speech, cyberbullying or the acquisition of psychoactive substances. She urged students to report such cases to the authorities.

"We have a law, we have a text for hate speech in legislation. In short, it represents incitement to hatred, violence, discrimination. We organized an event for the Roma Day in the Romanian Senate and we received several comments. I will try to reproduce one from memory - 'Rather than seeing them at events in the Senate, I'd rather set fire to the building so they all die'. This is the kind of hate-inciting message towards a certain ethnic group, a certain minority, towards people who have certain traits. This type of comment is a relevant example of divisive comment that leads to crime and that most of students do no report. Following our conversation today, I strongly encourage you to report any comments that you perceive as negative towards personal characteristics that differ from others. Please report such comments as discriminatory", said Alina Gorghiu.

Cyberbullying - "another misfortune"

She further mentioned that cyberbullying is "another misfortune" occurring in the online environment. "Persistent threats, such as targeting a schoolmate or a deskmate with the online posting of compromising videos in front of friends or sharing compromising photos with a schoolmate (...) - distributing such photos in embarrassing situations with your peers is a wrongful action. This is not how you become cool or popular in school, but it is how you become susceptible to criminal charges", emphasized the Minister of Justice.

The third theme addressed by the Ministry of Justice concerns the online acquisition of psychoactive substances and drugs. "The darknet is a term I'm sure you're familiar with, probably you've surfed these pages at some point and you probably know classmates who end up on the darknet quite often. Ordering drugs online is still a crime; you don't have to go to the street corner to buy them from a dealer, you can safely get them online. We try to monitor these sites, we try to be vigilant from the point of view of state institutions, but they still exist", warned Gorghiu.

According to her, online violence must be prevented, and the government has drafted a law regarding the extension of the protection order for offenses in the virtual space.

"We managed to draft a law that refers to the extension of the protection order, because until today, in Romania, there is only the protection order for cases of domestic violence. This type of domestic violence is regulated and you benefit from a protection order given by the Police or the court when there are such acts of violence. But violence doesn't only exist within the family; it extends beyond familial boundaries, encompassing various forms of violence, not just on the streets, but also prominently manifesting itself online. The law has passed the Senate and will reach the Chamber of Deputies. The scope of the protection order encompasses all members of society; one doesn't need to be a family member, it provides protection for any type of offense, including those occurring in the online environment", highlighted Alina Gorghiu.

"In fact, we live online"

In turn, Minister Ligia Deca pointed out that students spending a lot of time in front of the computer also involves respecting rules of conduct, and the role of the Ministry of Education is to educate these behaviors in the digital social environment.

"Once you spend between six and eight hours a day online, according to the Save the Children study, you end up, in fact, living online. (...) This means that all the protection measures and rules of conduct we apply in our social relationships are transferred online. If you don't curse someone face to face, you are not allowed to do it online. If you don't comment on someone's physical, psychological, etc., characteristics when discussing in a group of friends, you don't do it in online. If you don't dress inappropriately when you're out in public, then you don't post a photo online where you're not dressed appropriately. Thus, it hasn't been a private space for quite some time. (...) Any interaction online has psychological, emotional repercussions", said Deca.

She informed that 100,000 teachers are to be trained to enhance the level of digital competence, with a focus on incorporating online safety in their training.

"Following the initial assessment, let's endeavor to enhance the existing level of competence based on individual needs. Some teachers should aspire to become true mentors in what it means to surf the Internet and, more importantly, contribute to improving guidance on the safe use of the Internet. (...) Once we manage to bring together the resources of the state with what NGOs have been doing for a long time, with what the private sector has been doing for a long time, with what families or maybe the churches do (...), we will be able to do more together", conveyed Ligia Deca.

Present at the debate, Natalia Intotero, the Minister of Family, highlighted the need for accurate information and the development of public policies for young people, adapted to what they want. She emphasized the role of parents, stating that they need to make more time for their children, regardless of age, to be closer to the teachers and that the school - family - authorities, society triangle must function perfectly.

"In a digital era where only 46% of Romanian young people report basic digital skills, the responsibility to educate and protect the next generation in the online environment has never been greater. This guide responds to this urgent need, ensuring that all children are prepared and protected from the digital challenges of the 21st century. Informed and safe surfing on the Internet is essential for the cognitive and social development of young people. Moreover, in a world of continuous digitization, the ability to distinguish and protect oneself from potential online dangers becomes a fundamental skill for every individual. We hope this guide becomes an indispensable resource in all classrooms in Romanian schools and helps both students and teachers alike", said Gabriela Alexandrescu, executive president of Save the Children Romania.

According to a study conducted by Save the Children, between 66% and 84% of children have posted content online in the last year, with the fewest doing so on social networks (66%), followed by those who posted in an online game (69%), in private messaging (81%) and in a group or forum (84%).

The study shows that the highest risk of transmitting personal information is through private messaging, where girls stated that they did this to a significantly higher extent than boys (86% vs. 72%). Concerning is the fact that 41% of individuals reporting requests for sexually explicit images online assert that the initiator was an adult: 20% of girls claim this, compared to 7% of boys, the research reveals.