President of the Personal Data Protection Office participated in the New Education Forum 2026

On 20 April, Mr Mirosław Wróblewski, President of the Personal Data Protection Office, participated in the discussion “Children Online: How Can We Realistically Strengthen Digital Safety?”, which was part of this year’s two-day New Education Forum—a series of discussions on the role of modern education in the state and society.

In addition to President Wróblewski, the discussion panel featured Emilia Benedykcińska, editor-in-chief of Radio dla Ciebie (RdC); Marek Orzechowski, president of the Totalizator Sportowy Foundation (FTS); and Mikołaj Opiłowski, a student at the Tadeusz Czacki High School in Warsaw. During the meeting, topics discussed included the content presented by traditional media and social media in the context of the safety of the youngest audiences.

As the editor-in-chief of the RdC pointed out, messages that may be inappropriate for children and adolescents are carefully verified in the radio station. In turn, Mikołaj Opiłowski pointed out that from the perspective of teenage students, social media is already a normal part of culture and it is necessary to accept it, at the same time approaching it rationally, and not solely by prohibiting young people from using such communicators. The President of the FTS noted, however, that people often do not want to hear about the dangers lurking online, and perhaps this explains the persistent lack of meaningful discussion about the role the digital space plays in our lives today.

Mirosław Wróblewski pointed out that the President of the Personal Data Protection Office has competences limited to the matter of personal data protection, nevertheless in his daily mission he focuses primarily on education focused on the digital sphere and the minors being present in it.

 “We need to remember that children give up their data online and thus lose control over them, loosing also control over their own privacy. And these data can be used in a variety of ways: from fraud to the most serious crimes of a sexual nature" - the President of the Personal Data Protection Office has emphasised. He also mentioned the role of the nationwide educational program “Your Data—Your Concern” as a platform for schools and teachers who understand the risks associated with protecting the personal data of children.

Marek Orzechowski, President of the Totalizator Sportowy Foundation, noted in this context that education is indeed crucial, but it should be also accepted that knowledge and skills concerning digital environment must be constantly trained – it is a matter of daily activities aiming at acquiring fitness in this field.

During the discussion, the President of the Personal Data Protection Office also explained that at this point, probably the biggest danger to which children and adolescents are exposed is deepfake technology. "Today, among the youngest, it is a tool of violence, of mere violence. One of the most pressing needs is therefore the introduction of the age attribute on digital platforms, which is slowly introduced in the countries of the European Union", noted Mirosław Wróblewski.

Another important problem, according to the President of the Personal Data Protection Office, is that we still do not have a statutory regulator in Poland that would be responsible for digital safety.

President Wróblewski was also asked about the issue of sharenting. As he pointed out, this phenomenon must be combated by awareness building activities. “However, the problem is that the word “sharenting” has been around for a very short time, while sharing photos, e.g. from holidays, on the internet is common and 80% of parents are still not aware of the risk of such a habit.”

The discussion panel was followed by a workshop part, led by Marta Mikołajczyk from the Department of Educational Initiatives of the Personal Data Protection Office. The expert discussed issues such as the definition of personal data and how the society understand this notion as well as the awareness of data use among Polish people. The issue of consent to share the image and content generated by artificial intelligence was also discussed.

The organizer of New Education Forum 2026 is the Center for Innovative Education. The event was held under the auspices of the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Digitisation and the Mayor of Warsaw.