We can say (almost) with complete certainty that the first thing a child often touches is a screen.
The line between physical life and digital life has been completely blurred. Our children are not simply using technology; they areliving in it. This total immersion brings with it a growing list of risks that terrify parents and educators.
How do we protect young people from cyberbullying, exposure to inappropriate content, or developing problematic use?
The answer, according to Rosa Pérez, co-founder of Gaptain, is not found in bans or simple parental controls, but in a much deeper and more sustainable strategy: building a safe digital culture.
Recently, Rosa Pérez shared with us the keys to this approach, debunking common myths and offering a clear roadmap for educators, families, and, above all, children and adolescents themselves.
Through this detailed analysis of the interview, we’ll explore why the focus must shift from what technology is used to how it’s used, and why social-emotional skills are the best defense in cyberspace.
The central premise: from technology to use
The most common mistake parents and education systems make when addressing digital risks is focusing the discussion on the device or the platform. TikTok is demonized, a console is banned, or screen time is regulated. However, as Pérez explains, this approach is incomplete and short-lived.
“It’s not so much which technology we are using, but what use we are making of that technology. Because the same technology is not used the same way by an adult as by a child or another person.”
Technology is neutral; it’s a tool. A hammer can build a house or tear it down, and the outcome depends entirely on the hand that wields it. Similarly, a social network is a communication channel for an adult and can be an emotional-validation battleground for a teenager.
Gaptain, founded by professionals from the tech world, understood that the problem wasn’t hardware or software, but human literacy. If devices are going to evolve and change every few months, we cannot base our safety strategy on obsolete technology. We must base it on the human ability to interact with that technology critically and healthily.
The critical-use gap
The digital divide is no longer between those who have access and those who don’t. The new divide is between passive users and critical, responsible users.
- Passive user (child/teen without training): Responds impulsively, shares without thinking about long-term consequences (the digital footprint), seeks immediate gratification, and can easily fall into external validation through social interactions.
- Critical user (education’s goal): Understands that what’s on screen isn’t always real, knows how to manage their privacy, recognizes phishing or deception tactics, and uses platforms as tools for learning or connection, not as substitutes for real life.
By shifting the focus from the device to the use, we transform a conversation of surveillance and restriction into one of empowerment and awareness.
Defining a safe digital culture: social-emotional skills
When Rosa Pérez talks about building a “cybersecurity culture,” she’s not referring only to strong passwords or antivirus software. She means the internalization of habits and values that are as essential in the digital environment as they are in everyday life.
We like to talk about a safe digital culture because it implies acquiring certain social-emotional skills in the digital realm.
This is Gaptain’s central thesis: digital safety is not a technical function; it’s a soft skill. The abilities that make us good citizens and good people offline (empathy, respect, critical thinking, self-management) are precisely the skills that protect us online.
Replicating competencies
Schools and families have traditionally spent a lot of time teaching face-to-face respect, managing direct conflict, or practicing empathy on the playground. But these skills must be replicated and adapted to the digital ecosystem:
- Digital empathy: Understanding the impact of a comment or a meme on someone else’s mental health. The anonymity (or pseudo-anonymity) of the internet often disinhibits people, leading to comments they would never make in person.
- Digital identity self-management: Being aware of the image projected and understanding that the digital identity is built with every post, like, and comment.
- Managing emotion and conflict: Knowing when to step away from a toxic discussion or to report harassment instead of escalating the fight.
Rosa Pérez emphasizes that this education is not just for children; “we also need to educate ourselves” in these competencies. Parents and teachers must model digital behavior, showing how to use social networks respectfully, how to verify a news item before sharing it, and how to set healthy boundaries with the phone.
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Gaptain’s three fundamental pillars: educate, accompany, and protect
Gaptain’s program is organized around a triad of actions that ensure a comprehensive intervention, as mentioned in the interview:
1. Educate: knowledge is power
Education must be a coordinated effort on three fronts:
- To families and teachers: Provide technical and pedagogical knowledge. Adults should know which apps their children are using, what the real risks are (such as social engineering or hidden gambling), and how to set clear rules based on age and maturity.
- To children and adolescents: Teach them to be digital detectives. This includes understanding how recommendation algorithms work, why their TikTok feed is addictive, and what the digital footprint really means in the long term (the digital trail we leave for a future employer or university).
2. Accompany: active presence and dialogue
Accompaniment is the most transformative and the most difficult action for modern parents, often absorbed by their own devices.
Pérez insists that, although the term “parental education” is used, accompaniment should be a shared responsibility: parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts, and the school.
- Be a “guide” and not a “spy”: Active digital presence does not mean spying, but creating spaces for dialogue where children feel safe to talk about what they see or what concerns them, even if it’s uncomfortable or embarrassing.
- Negotiating rules: Usage rules are more effective when negotiated and understood, not imposed. This fosters the teen’s own responsibility.
3. Protect: resilience before restriction
Protection is not limited to filtering software or time limits. The best protection is the child’s mental resilience.
If a child or adolescent develops the ability to:
- Identify a scam attempt.
- Recognize a toxic online relationship.
- Walk away from content that causes them distress.
That ability is infinitely more valuable than any temporary firewall, because it travels with the user across any device and platform. The strongest protection is critical thinking.
Debunking the “addiction” to technology
One of the most important points in the interview was Rosa Pérez’s caution about the widespread use of the word “addiction” to describe excessive technology use.
“Be careful with the word addiction. An addiction requires treatment. Is the person really addicted or are they really using technology because it’s something that [motivates/keeps them occupied]?”
The problem with using the term “addiction” is twofold:
- Pathologizing: Labeling something as addiction that may be simply a bad habit or impulsive use diverts attention from the underlying problem.
- Denying the cause: Excessive technology use is often not the cause but the symptom. A child or teen who takes refuge in video games may be dealing with loneliness, social anxiety, structural boredom, or a lack of academic motivation.
The crucial question for parents
Instead of asking “How much time did you spend on the tablet today?”, Pérez invites us to ask “Why do you need to spend so much time on the tablet?”.
If excessive use is due to an unmet need, the solution is not to take away the device, but to help the child meet that need in a healthier way, whether through a new hobby, a sport, or simply more quality family time. The approach should be therapeutic and exploratory, not punitive.
Conclusion: a journey of shared awareness
The interview with Rosa Pérez of Gaptain leaves a clear and powerful lesson: we cannot outsource digital safety. It is a task that demands our presence, our knowledge, and, above all, our evolution as adults.
A safe digital culture is a constant commitment to educating social-emotional skills in an environment that changes at the speed of light. It means understanding that technology is a mirror of society, and if we want the digital society to be better, safer, and more humane, we must educate the citizens who compose it.
Our children’s digital future will not be secured with filters or monitoring apps. It will be secured with education, constant accompaniment, and the acquisition of critical awareness that will allow them to navigate confidently and resiliently through any technological wave that appears.
