The role of youth in the future of the Internet and digital technologies will be discussed at the National Centre RUSSIA

The future of the Internet, digital technologies, and the role of youth in their development will be discussed on April 2 at the National Centre RUSSIA during the Fifth Youth Digital Forum (Youth RIGF 2025). The event is organized by the Centre for Global IT Cooperation with the support of the Alliance for the Protection of Children in the Digital Environment.

The Forum will bring together young professionals, students, entrepreneurs, leading Russian and international experts, and representatives of government agencies. Key topics of discussion will include the digital transformation of science, the development of youth entrepreneurship in the IT sector, the formation of the Russian digital cultural code, and the socialization of the new generation on the Internet.

The Forum will begin with a plenary session titled "Cybersecurity for Children and Youth: Challenges, Threats, Strategy," where representatives of the Presidential Administration, the Government of the Russian Federation, public organizations, and businesses will engage in an open dialogue on modern digital threats and ways to prevent them.

The moderator of the event will be Veronica Romanova, a host on the RBC TV channel. The speakers include Tatiana Matveyeva, Head of the Presidential Directorate for the Development of Information and Communication Technologies and Communication Infrastructure of the Russian Federation; Irina Schwartzman, Deputy Minister of Education of the Russian Federation; Vladimir Tabak, Director General of ANO "Dialogue" and ANO "Dialogue Regions"; Ruslan Yusufov, founder and managing partner of MINDSMITH; and Yelizaveta Belyakova, Chair of the Alliance for the Protection of Children in the Digital Environment.

The session "Back to the Roots: The Russian Digital Cultural Code" will explore how Russia's new digital code is being shaped and why interest in national culture on the Internet is growing. The discussion will feature Ilya Yemelin, Director of Content Operations (RUTUBE); Mikhail Kanavtsev, Vice-Rector for Media Education at the Senezh Management Workshop and Head of the New Media Workshop; Sergei Vasilyev, founder of the Birchpunk channel; art historian Natalia Lavrenova; and Mikhail Seslavinsky, researcher of book culture and Chairman of the Council of the National Union of Bibliophiles. The session will be moderated by Alexei Goreslavsky, Director General of ANO "Institute for Internet Development."

At the session "Alone in the Network: The New Generation and Socialization," experts will analyze how digital culture influences friendship and the socialization of young adults.

The discussion will be moderated by lawyer and TV host Yekaterina Torkunova. The speakers include Yelizaveta Belyakova (Alliance for the Protection of Children), Daria Chernyakhovskaya (NYUM TASS), Artyom Chalenko (Lustique AI), Stanislav Makhortov (NTC FGUP "GRCHTs"), and blogger Sasha Stone.

The session "Many Numbers Out of Nothing: The Internet and Science" will focus on balancing traditional methods with innovations and the role of AI in scientific processes. The discussion will be led by Alexander Khanarov (BRICS Project Laboratory), with speakers including Anna Karpenko (NAS of Belarus), Vitaly Soldatenko (Rosselkhozbank), Mikhail Nachevsky (Plekhanov Russian University of Economics), Vitaly Terentyev (HH.ru), Seal Rahmanuddin Seradji (Centre for Diagnostics and Telemedicine), and Oleg Kravchuk ("Code of Security").

The track "On My Own: Low-Risk IT Entrepreneurship" will focus on youth entrepreneurship and new digital opportunities for business. The session will be moderated by Marina Amelina (Vostok Investments), with participants including Alexei Murzenok (REC), Vitaly Stepanov (MEC), Vladimir Platonov (MCCI), Maxim Ikonnikov (VK), Natalya Berdyeva (Skillstaff), and Nikita Shnyrev (ANO "Human Capital Development").

As part of the Forum, the Alliance will host the award ceremony "For a Safe Digital Childhood," recognizing significant initiatives in the field of cybersecurity. Additionally, the winners of the "Digitalization for Good" and "Best Youth Technology Project" awards will be honored.

The FifthYouth Digital Forum will be held in a hybrid format, both offline and online. Participation is free, and registration is open until March 29 on the website youth.rigf.ru.