Raising Global Citizens in the Digital Era - Online or Offline? Strategies for responsible and balanced internet use are more important than ever. In today’s connected world, children face unique challenges and opportunities. At Ermitage International IB School, our approach focuses on teaching young people to use technology thoughtfully and ethically, balancing screen time with real-world connections. Through values-based education, we prepare students to navigate the digital landscape safely, critically, and with emotional intelligence.

A New Era of Raising Children in a Connected World

In a single generation, childhood has changed profoundly. Once it meant poring over encyclopaedias, handwriting letters, and waiting days for photos to be developed. Now, information is instant, friendships exist online, and devices are ever-present - in classrooms, homes, and everywhere in between, all over the world. This digital shift brings great opportunity, but also real responsibility. 

How can we help children thrive both online and offline? Use technology safely, thoughtfully, ethically, and with emotional intelligence? At our IB international school, we believe the answer lies in values-based, future-focused education - where technology is embraced with care, and young people are guided to be their best selves, whatever they are connected to.

Global Citizenship Starts with Local Values

However easy it may be to get drawn into the virtual world, developing responsible digital citizens must begin with real-world relationships. Daily rituals - such as those we value at Ermitage International school: greeting one another by name, sharing meals, pausing for conversation during homeroom or between classes - remind us that connection is not just digital, but human. Values like care, integrity, and respect guide behaviour both on and offline. Keeping phones ‘off and away’ during the school day is not about restriction, but about presence and focus - making space for face-to-face exchange. 

Our school culture shapes digital habits through example, shared norms, and open dialogue. By placing wellbeing, trust, and accountability at the heart of school life, students feel safe to engage critically - and to reach out when things go wrong. These foundations matter. They allow for real conversation and meaningful learning.

Teaching Digital Literacy as a Core Skill

As educators and parents, it is easy to feel overwhelmed by concerns about the digital world. While safeguarding is essential - especially for adolescents, who do still need support in managing what and how much they access - fear alone does not prepare young people. Technology is part of life now, not just the future. 

At Ermitage International School, we focus on equipping students to navigate it with curiosity, responsibility, and reflection. From the Primary Years to the Diploma Programme, students learn to research ethically, question sources, and reflect on their digital identity. A key focus is academic integrity - especially with the fast arrival of AI.

IB Middle Years Programme students apply critical thinking in group projects; IB Diploma Programme students debate ethical dilemmas in ‘Theory of Knowledge’. Through the IB Learner Profile, they grow as principled, reflective, and open-minded users of technology. While students gain technical skills through Computer Science, they are ultimately learning how to think critically and to adapt. Digital literacy is not a separate skill: it is part of how we learn, think, and grow every day.

Balance is Everything: intentional use, not elimination

As a parent of two teenagers as well as a Head of a school responsible for 230 teenagers, I often ask myself whether I am modelling the digital balance I expect. The instinct to check a phone before even drawing the curtains, to gain time using AI to proofread writing, to feel a little excitement at the Likes on a LinkedIn post - these are habits of our time. They are not necessarily wrong, but they are worth noticing. The key is awareness. 

Our school approaches digital habits with this same mindset. Through ‘Life Skills’ lessons discussions, device-free creative sessions, and reflections on how we use technology when we do, we guide students to notice their patterns, consider their choices, and practise balance. Not as a rule, but as a lifelong skill.

Building Emotional Intelligence and Digital Resilience

Helping young people manage online pressures starts with helping them understand themselves. This is the world our teenagers live in, and they need emotional skills in real life to stay grounded online. Trust is essential - being able to reach out when something goes wrong can change everything. In our school, restorative approaches and strong staff relationships make this possible. 

Emotional intelligence begins offline: learning to name feelings, reflect, and respond, not react. One student facing online conflict was able to resolve it face-to-face, rebuilding trust. We cannot shield young people from every challenge, but we can teach them to respond with empathy and integrity. 

A positive trend from their access to so much content is greater emotional openness - checking in, seeking authenticity, and sharing more honestly. These are vital traits, and we must nurture and value them.

A Shared Journey: Working Together as a School Community

The digital world moves fast - no one can keep up with every change. At Ermitage International School, we offer clear guidance and support, but we know limits alone are not enough. This is not just about adults teaching children. It is about partnership. Parent Talk Workshops provide space for open dialogue. That partnership deepens when students are involved. Young people are essential contributors - and technology can be a leveller. We learn from their instincts, insights, and experiences. 

I rely on my son’s bike app - and therefore on him - to guide us through the forest, just as I rely on students to manage the tech behind assemblies while I coach their public speaking. We offer guidance; they offer insight. When these partnerships are in place, everyone benefits and grows, and we can leverage the digital world without becoming lost in it. 

The world ahead is unknown, but by focusing on relationships, emotional growth, and learning how to learn - as promoted by International Baccalaureate (IB) Programmes - we give our children the best possible foundation.

We welcome you to contact our admissions team to learn more about how the IB programme at Ermitage International School can provide your child with a strong foundation for a successful and a fulfilling future.

Marta Essinki, is the Head of School at Ermitage IB School. She has over twenty years’ experience as an educator, with expertise in language learning, and a commitment to holistic education that enables every child to grow, thrive and succeed. 

Ermitage International IB School welcomes students aged 8-18, for our International Primary Programme, IB Middle Years Programme (MYP) and Diploma Programme (DP). The school is based in the small, leafy town of Maisons-Laffitte, just twenty minutes from the centre of Paris.