A parliamentary commission established to investigate school incidents, digital risk and child safety on July 30 gathered with a group of students to exchange ideas and experiences.
The commission was enacted as a measure to ensure student safety following the school attacks that took place in Şanlıurfa on April 14 and in Kahramanmaraş on April 15. While the attack in Şanlıurfa left 16 people injured and no fatalities, the attack in Kahramanmaraş resulted in 12 deaths and 13 injuries.
Chaired by Yusuf Beyazıt, Justice and Development Party (AKP) representative for Tokat, the commission included middle school and high school students.
“Our children’s safety extends from the family to school, and from their social environment to digital platforms. We have seen, particularly with regard to digital risks, that social media, online games and digital platforms pose serious threats to our children. We must implement a protection system to ensure our children grow up to be safe, informed and responsible individuals,” said Beyazıt.
Yüsra Beyazıt, a 7th-grade student from İstanbul, stated that peer bullying is what affects children the most and that, to address this issue, teachers must take students’ complaints seriously. Beyazıt also suggested that the use of smartphones and internet should be limited for the students under a certain age.
An 11th-grade high school student from Ankara, Sudenaz Çil, noted that bullying is sometimes perpetrated by teachers as well and that teachers often remain silent against students who bully others.
“The limitation of smartphones and the internet wouldn’t solve the problem. Schools should hold private meetings with families to address the issue of bullying,” Çil said.
After the students, parents and teachers took the floor. Parents stated that they want safety to be addressed not only through physical measures but also through psychological, social and digital aspects. They argued that the school-parent association should be structured to prioritize the well-being of students rather than the school’s physical needs.
Teacher Özlem Önen, who received death threats from her students, noted that she felt anxious for a long time whenever she went to school, even though the students had received the appropriate punishment.
Meanwhile, teacher Fadime Tan spoke about how students have become unable to express themselves due to the influence of the digital world.
