Francisca Cibié: “Technology contributes a lot if it is used with purpose”.”

When we talk about screens in an educational environment, the question one or two is usually: “How does technology contribute to the learning process? Well, we set out to look for experts in the area and, asking here and there, several voices recommended us to talk to Francisca Cibié.

Francisca Cibié is the Director of Academic Development at the professional technical institute Duoc UC. She is dedicated to promoting “educational innovation and digital transformation in higher education” among some 100,000 students. We invited her to lunch in a university courtyard, shared with students and professors, to relax the mood and ask for the best “tips” for schools and families.

How would you approach a talk for parents about cell phone use in their children?

- I usually do an exercise with parents: I ask them to check in their own privacy settings which applications have access to their location and microphone. When they realize that their phones are misconfigured, they understand that they are handing over that same vulnerability to their children and that many times we run risks without knowing that these existed.

It is a duty as adults to evaluate the risks and benefits before handing over a device, because the damage can range from everyday to more serious issues, undermining their self-esteem and safety.

Beyond known risks such as pornography, what other everyday dangers do you detect in these technologies?

- There are very common cases, such as «the photo that never disappears». A girl sends an image via Instagram or Whatsapp with the function of viewing only once, but another person can take a picture of her cell phone with another device and spread it. This creates a false sense of privacy.

There are also the specific risks of the different apps: WhatsApp for example allows groups that sometimes get out of control and has no parental monitoring tools of its own, while Instagram uses algorithms that can drag young people into inappropriate content, being contacted by strangers and public exposure. Reels and Stories promote a culture of obsession with «likes» that directly impacts self-esteem.

There are also the risks of geolocation in publications and contact with influencers who promote disorderly consumption, unrealistic body standards or risky behaviors.

What strategy would you propose for handing over the “smartphone” to children? 

- I do not believe in a «leap into the void», but in a “gradual delivery”. My proposal is: no screens until the age of 12; between 13 and 14, only a basic cell phone («clam»); at 14 -15, start with WhatsApp, and only a year later allow Instagram. However, this is not a «free-for-all» for the teenager; it is important to ensure an educated use, accompanied, with limited screen time and, preferably, that the social networks start installed on the parents' phone to be able to supervise responsible use and the algorithm.

Rather than a fixed rule by age, which the regulation already establishes a minimum age of 13 years, the important thing is to understand that the introduction should be gradual, supervised and educated. And if you have to start with a social network, I prefer WhatsApp rather than Instagram: this way, to contact your child they need to know their phone number, and there is no risk of the algorithm pushing it to ever more extreme content.

Parents are often confused when they hear the word “settings” and don't know how to restrict their child's cell phone use. How do you encourage them to take an interest in these possibilities?

- I understand that. I think that, instead of forcing them to learn, each school could offer on its website different tutorials and best practices and even the service of configuring the student's cell phone with the parental controls of the parents' choice. The same person in charge of technology at the school, for example, could determine a schedule to receive parents and offer them that help.

Another objection we have heard: faced with social pressure from their children to «not be left out,» many parents give in prematurely. How to handle this?

- It's an uphill battle, because children feel that if they are not in the WhatsApp group, they are not in the group., do not exist socially. But parents need to be emboldened. If a mother does not see the seriousness of the matter, she will not put up a fight. Now, the emotional damage that an unprotected child can suffer, such as cyberbullying, is terrible: a derogatory comment on a photo can destroy a girl's self-esteem in seconds, even leading to eating disorders or isolation.

Finally, I feel that when parents give in, they are not fully aware of the amount of trouble they are buying into, nor the door they are opening. Because it is not «just a cell phone» or «just an app». It is opening the door to the creation of a WhatsApp group with the whole class except her, and that she finds out about it on Monday during recess; or the «parallel group», the one that is set up without a specific child just to talk about him behind his back; or the stickers with the face of a classmate turned into a mockery circulating all week; or the audios laughing at how a girl talks, forwarded thousands of times; or the cell phone under the pillow at 3 o'clock in the morning, checking if someone answered or “like”, and then arriving at school without sleep, irritable, and ending up fighting with a friend for any nonsense; or the fights between moms of the class because the kids got caught in a chat room.

These are small things, and bigger things like pornography, gambling addiction or self-harm, that accumulate and kill the self-esteem, school performance and mental health of a child who does not yet have the emotional tools to process them. Once opened, that door does not close. That's why it's worth putting up a fight sooner, even if it's uncomfortable.

What role should schools play in this training?

- Schools are not enough with a couple of talks a year and protocols for handing out cell phones. They must integrate digital skills into the curriculum progressively. It is essential to provide students with digital skills and teach them, for example, what it means to create an account, the difference between creating an account using an email or giving them access to your Google account, or, finally, how to handle themselves safely on networks and how to protect their digital identity.

In addition, as mentioned above, schools should provide hands-on workshops for parents and offer simple technical support to help understand the risks and set up parental controls.

On a strictly pedagogical level, how does technology contribute to learning?

- It brings a lot to the table if used with purpose. For example, with the advent of Artificial Intelligence, assessment must change: it is no longer the final report that matters, but the critical thinking demonstrated in the questions and counter-questions that the student asked the AI to arrive at that result.

There are also incredible advances such as the metaverse or virtual reality, which allow simulations of real contexts (such as assembling an engine) in safe and economical environments.

Finally, like everything in life, technology has lots of risks but it also opens up endless opportunities and it is up to us to put technology at the service of the person and not the other way around.

Would you be in favor of greater legal regulation, as has been proposed in Europe or Australia, where the same platforms are being ordered to prevent the creation of accounts for those under 16 years of age?

- Yes, absolutely. It would be a huge relief for parents if the law established real minimum ages, treating it as the public health issue that it is. Now, to be honest, the law alone is not enough: if parents and schools do not support it, children will find a way to migrate to other apps. That's why I think it has to be a combination of regulation, school and home. But it helps a lot if the State sets a floor.

In conclusion, what is the final message for families?

- We must develop positive leadership in both students and parents. If we can get the leaders of a class to decide not to have a cell phone until a certain age, social pressure decreases. 

It's about picking your battles, being consistent and understanding that our responsibility is to accompany them in this transition until they are mature enough to handle these tools on their own.

And, finally, I want to say to dads “dare” to put up a fight. It is worth it, because, in the end, they are protecting their children, and that is part of the job of being a parent.