On 7 and 8 October, the Drafting Committee on the Risks and Harms of Online and Digital Addictions (BIO-ALN) held its first meeting in Strasbourg, France, and online, bringing together representatives and experts of Council of Europe member States, Pompidou Group and other intergovernmental committees and bodies, international organisations and representatives of the expert community and civil society.
Working under the authority of the Committee of Ministers and the Steering Committee for Human Rights in the fields of Biomedicine and Health (CDBIO), BIO-ALN brings together multidisciplinary expertise from a wide range of fields, including addiction research, public health, mental health, digital technologies, human rights, children's rights, education, media, data protection, cybercrime, sport, gender equality, youth work, among others. The Drafting Committee is tasked with preparing a draft Council of Europe Recommendation to member States on the risks and harms associated with online and digital addictions, with a view to providing guidance on effective responses and regulatory approaches that safeguard health, social well-being and human rights.
In his opening remarks, Franz Pietsch, Chair of the Committee of Permanent Correspondents of the Pompidou Group, acknowledged that “the Pompidou Group very much welcomes the CDBIO’s readiness to cooperate on this important work. This institutional cooperation brings together the Pompidou Group’s expertise on addictions with the Council of Europe’s broader work on human rights, health, and biomedicine.”
Maria Do Céu Patrão Neves, Chair of BIO-ALN, noted, “digital technologies bring enormous opportunities and benefits, while at the same time are potentially creating, amplifying or facilitating new risks and harms. Understanding these risks, identifying where human rights and health may be affected, and considering what forms of protection and prevention are appropriate will require expertise from different disciplines and perspectives.”
The Drafting Committee elected Jann Schumacher as Vice-Chair and appointed Eduarda Ferreira and Sophia Achab as Gender Equality and Children and Youth Rapporteurs, respectively, to ensure that these perspectives are mainstreamed in its work.
Over two days, members of the Drafting Committee discussed the material and personal scope of the draft Recommendation and possible general themes according to which it would be structured, as well as cross-cutting issues that would arise under those themes. The meeting concluded with agreement on the next milestones in the drafting process.
GET THE LATEST UPDATES
Pompidou Group
