Our college's Social Services Program faculty member, Lecturer Dr. Pelin Kılınç Özüölmez, met with students and parents as part of the "Safe Future in the Digital Age" themed event organized by the TED Mersin College Guidance Service. In two separate sessions prepared for different age groups, the effects of digitalized life on children, young people, and families were discussed from a scientific and practical perspective.

The seminar for parents focused on digital parenting, children's rights and digital privacy, the phenomenon of sharenting, protecting children's digital identities, the security of personal data on social media, and the guidance roles of families in the digital world. Özüölmez drew attention to the physical, emotional, and social risks children may encounter in digital environments, emphasizing the protective importance of trust-based family communication and conscious digital parenting practices. She also informed participants about current legal and social developments regarding children's digital rights, the right to be forgotten, and online safety.

The training program for students covered current topics such as digital security, digital footprint, personal data protection, cyberbullying, peer bullying, the opportunities and risks of digital games, online fraud, artificial intelligence, and deepfake technologies. Suggestions for the conscious use of technology were shared, aiming to raise students' awareness of the risks they may encounter in the digital world and to help them acquire safe digital citizenship skills. It was explained, with examples, that digital games are not only a means of entertainment but also important tools that support education, creativity, and problem-solving skills, but that uncontrolled use can create individual and social risks.

At the end of the training sessions, TED Mersin College General Education Coordinator Kenan Saygı and Primary School Principal Gülümser Gedikoğlu thanked Özüölmez.