On the occasion of Mental Health Month, Mayansi joins UNICEF Spain's request to the technology industry to design algorithms that protect the emotional well-being of children and adolescents. To this end, UNICEF has presented 'The Lesson', a physical representation of the algorithm in which, for each signature, a plotter will copy the phrase 'I will not harm children's mental health again', in order to learn it.
Mayansi has joined #SafeAlgorithmNow, the UNICEF Spain campaign that asks the technology industry for safe algorithms for children and adolescents.
The algorithms of platforms and social networks repeat and amplify certain content and messages to children and adolescents. This repeated exposure can influence their perceptions, self-esteem, and well-being, and contribute to mental health problems.
According to data from the 'Digital Childhood' report by UNICEF Spain, adolescents in our country are massively registered on social networks: 92.5% participate in at least one social network and 75.8% in three or more. Even in the last years of Primary School, 78.3% already have a presence on some network. Almost 9% of boys and girls aged 10 to 20 spend more than five hours a day on social networks during the week, a figure that rises to almost 20% on weekends. This intensive use is associated with greater anxiety, poorer quality of life, and greater exposure to situations of neglect. 14.2% of adolescents show clear symptoms of emotional distress and 4 out of 10 boys and girls believe they have had a mental health problem in the last year. 1 in 3 has not spoken to anyone about it.
A lesson for the algorithm
To make the problem visible, UNICEF Spain has presented 'The Lesson', a physical representation of the algorithm that turns a shared school memory upside down: copying a phrase a hundred times to learn The Lesson. This time it is the algorithm that has to learn. For each signature collected at algoritmoseguroya.es, an algorithm will copy the phrase 'I will not harm children's mental health again'. One signature, one copy.
The commitment of Mayansi
By joining this campaign, Mayansi shows its commitment to the emotional well-being of children and adolescents and supports UNICEF Spain's call to the technology sector to move towards a safer and healthier digital environment.
The campaign demands that technology companies ensure that their algorithms do not promote the consumption of content harmful to physical or mental health; that they reduce mechanisms that may favor addictive use of screens, such as infinite scrolling, autoplay, or certain app designs; that they protect the privacy and personal data of children and adolescents; and that they guarantee effective age verification systems and the generation of content appropriate for each stage.
"I have been working for years with families, educators, and foundations on responsible technology use among minors, and I always hear the same concern: what content is shown on the screen and why. Infinite scrolling or autoplay are not neutral. At Mayansi, we believe that promoting a safe digital environment for children is a shared responsibility that must involve not only families, educational centers, and administration, but above all, companies. We join #AlgoritmoSeguroYa because from Mayansi we want to contribute to making a safe and respectful online environment for childhood and adolescence a reality," stated María Lázaro Ávila, CEO and Co-founder of Mayansi.
A local campaign with global reach
#AlgoritmoSeguroYa is part of 'NTP: Comment on it', the movement of UNICEF Spain for the mental health of children and adolescents.
Anyone can join by signing the petition at: algoritmoseguroya.es.