Parents at the Heart of AI-Ready Digital Citizenship – IPA at GeNeMe 2025

AI-ready digital citizenship was at the centre of discussions at GeNeMe 2025 in Dresden, under the theme “AI & Humanity: Technology with Social Responsibility.” Hosted at ehs (Evangelischen Hochschule) Dresden and streamed in hybrid format, the conference gathered professional educators, technologists, and policymakers with a shared goal: shaping digital communities that balance innovation with responsibility.

The opening keynote by Prof. Dr. Nina Weimann-Sandig, “Menschlichkeit im Algorithmus: Professionelle Identitäten im Zeitalter der KI,” set the tone. Her message — keep humanity at the centre of AI — echoed throughout the two days and framed many of the digital citizenship education sessions that followed.

Parents as co-educators in AI-ready digital citizenship

For us at Parents International, GeNeMe was a natural fit. On Friday morning, within the Digitale Bildung: Kompetenzen track, Aristidis Protopsaltis presented findings from the Erasmus+ DRONE Project in a talk titled “Digital Competence, Citizenship, and Parental Attitudes Towards Artificial Intelligence: German Insights.”

The session underlined IPA’s central claim: parents are not just stakeholders but co-educators in fostering AI-ready digital citizenship. While schools adapt to new AI tools, families are already making daily decisions — about devices, platforms, privacy, and AI trustworthiness — that shape how young people build their digital competence and citizenship values.

Research insights from German parents

The DRONE research, focused on German families, revealed three urgent findings:

Digital competence is a family matter. Parents’ skills and confidence with technology form the baseline for how children assess risks, recognise misinformation, and use AI constructively. When families understand both how tools work and why to use them, the whole ecosystem benefits.
Citizenship goes beyond usage. While exposure to AI is universal, citizenship is intentional. Values like fairness, privacy, and responsibility must move with children between home and school, with parents serving as the bridge.
Parental attitudes shape behaviour. Parents’ views on AI — positive or sceptical — directly influence household rules and role-modelling. Balanced parental attitudes encourage healthier, more thoughtful AI use among teenagers.

Practical implications for digital citizenship education

What made the session stand out was its practical angle. The DRONE Project places families at the forefront, not the margins, recognising parents as the primary contributors to AI-ready digital citizenship.

Key recommendations include:

Coordinated family–school strategies on AI literacy
Shared language on AI’s benefits and risks
Toolkits for parents and teachers to evaluate AI outputs
Guidance on privacy, data literacy, and critical thinking for families

If we want resilient democratic digital communities, we must equip parents with the same intentionality we expect from schools.

European policy context: AI and digital citizenship

The findings from the DRONE project also connect with broader European Union policy priorities. The EU Artificial Intelligence Act stresses transparency, accountability, and human oversight in AI systems — principles that echo the parental concerns observed in the study.

Similarly, the Digital Education Action Plan (2021–2027) calls for strengthening digital skills at all levels of society, recognising that families, not just schools, are critical in preparing young people for a digital future. And in the context of Education for Democracy, the European Commission has underlined the importance of values-based education that links citizenship, ethics, and digital competence.

By placing parents at the heart of AI-ready digital citizenship, IPA’s work contributes directly to these policy goals. It reminds us that the most ambitious frameworks succeed only when translated into the daily practices of families, schools, and communities.

Humanity in the loop — starting at home

The closing sentiment of GeNeMe 2025 mirrored its opening chord: keep humanity in the loop. For IPA, this work begins at home. Supporting parents in digital competence and AI literacy is essential to raising citizens who can navigate AI with confidence, ethics, and agency.

FAQ: AI-Ready Digital Citizenship and Parents’ Role

What is AI-ready digital citizenship?
It means preparing young people not only to use AI tools but to understand their social, ethical, and democratic implications. It combines digital competence, critical thinking, and citizenship values.

Why are parents central to AI education?
Parents make daily decisions about devices, platforms, privacy, and trust in AI outputs. Their attitudes and skills directly influence how children learn to use AI responsibly.

How does parental attitude toward AI matter?
If parents are balanced and informed, teenagers are more likely to adopt thoughtful, safe, and ethical behaviours when interacting with AI technologies.

What support do families need?
Families benefit from clear guidance, practical toolkits, and cooperation with schools to evaluate AI outputs, manage privacy, and promote data literacy.

How does this link to European policy?
The EU AI Act and the Digital Education Action Plan both emphasise human-centred AI and democratic participation. Parents play a crucial role in making these policies real at home and in schools.