MOSCOW, October 3. /TASS/. Almost 90% of five-year-olds in Russia are active users of electronic gadgets, Olga Vasilyeva, president of the Russian Academy of Education, said, calling for children and teenagers to be taught the basics of media safety.

"Almost 90% of five-year-olds are active users of gadgets nowadays. Our common goal is to make sure that their journey into the media world is informed and safe. <...> We must teach children media safety - both schoolchildren and preschoolers," Vasilyeva said at the second All-Russian scientific and practical conference of media educators.

She noted that today’s media environment requires a conscious and critical approach, as the spread of digital technologies brings challenges such as mind manipulation and fraud.

"It is the school and you, dear teachers, who help the younger generation not to get swept up in this vortex. The battle for minds begins in kindergarten and school. We must be at the forefront, armed with cutting-edge expertise and methodologies. We have a strong foundation to build upon, as Russia is a country with rich media traditions," she concluded.

The conference, which brings together teachers and researchers from across Russia, is held on October 3-4 at the Faculty of Journalism of Lomonosov Moscow State University. It is supported by the Russian Academy of Education, the Russian Union of Journalists, and Saint Petersburg State University.