The awareness of parents in Turkey on the digital rights of the children

This study examines the awareness of the parents in Turkey regarding the digital rights of their children. While the digital world provides many opportunities for children, it also brings some risks. For this reason, it is necessary to establish a balanced relationship to be protected from risks and to benefit from opportunities. Children use digital media for many different purposes. In this study, information about children's digital media usage habits, which vary in Turkey and the world, is given. Research on the opportunities and risks that children face in the digital world is examined and evaluated within the framework of the "4Cs" risk classification published by EU Kids Online in 2021 (Livingstone et al., 2021). On the other hand, the duties of parents, policymakers, and educators are discussed so that children can spend efficient and right time in the digital world. Information and solutions are presented to ensure the high benefit of children in digital media through different types of parenting and to prevent risks before they turn into harm. Using the quantitative method in the research, a questionnaire is applied to the parents of six to eighteen year old children living in Istanbul. There are many studies on children's use of digital media, but it is very difficult to find data that gives sufficient and reliable information about family attitudes that shape their use. Although there are informative resources prepared for parents in this area, it is not known whether parents have knowledge and awareness of the digital children's rights specified in the General Comment No. 25 (UN, 2021) accepted by the United Nations. Therefore, the research obtained results related to awareness by examining parental attitudes. The importance of parental awareness is emphasized for the active use of children's digital rights, protecting children from online risks, and taking advantage of opportunities.