One toddler dey sleep to white noise wey dey comot from speaker, no be to mama lullaby.

Seven-year-old dey chop breakfast, eye dey stick for tablet, no be as parent hand go reach cross table to full im plate.

Ten-year-old dey learn to draw from tutorial videos, no be from grandparent wey dey softly show am.

Teenager dey share secrets with AI chatbot, no be with friend.

If you waka any part of di world you go see pikin wey dey scroll, swipe, watch and dey absorb content wey adults create but dem dey struggle to control.

The adults wey build this digital world now dey face one uncomfortable question: dem don lose control of wetin pikin dey find for there?

That question make media experts, child psychologists, educators and policymakers gather for Istanbul for the TRT International Children's Media Summit wey open for Haliç Conference Centre on December 6, 2025.

The conference wan address how children and families engage with media for an increasingly digital life, where the web don look like everybody own oyster.

"We build this digital world. We lay its foundations. Therefore, we cannot stand by and watch new generations get lost in it," Turkish First Lady Emine Erdoğan talk for the summit opening.

The First Lady put her signature on the Digital Child Rights Convention and call other stakeholders make dem follow. "We cannot leave our children alone in the unsafe streets of the digital world," she add, saying the regulations wey dem dey draft include new social media rules for children under 15.

Jennifer Kaberi, founder and director of Kenya-based child and adolescent-centred digital and media company Mtoto News, emphasise how important e be to give children platform to talk and to make sure people wey dey decide dey listen.

She warn say parents fit be either the weakest or the strongest link for digital safety.

"We call ourselves digital immigrants, but we are the ones who created the internet. It's our generation, the millennials," Kaberi say. "We dey create world wey we no really understand, and our children just dey jump into am."

Di fight for attachment

As Kaberi point out, technology no dey only compete for attention again; e don start to compete for attachment.

Children as small as preschool dey stare screens for hours but dem dey struggle to focus when person talk to dem. The silence of digital engagement don replace the conversations wey children used to get with parents.

Türkiye's deputy foreign minister Burhanettin Duran, wey still head the presidential communications directorate, highlight the growing influence of digital platforms on children's learning and socialisation. "We do not want to keep children away from screens entirely, but a sensitive balance is essential," he say for the conference.

Duran point to national action plans on children's digital rights and warn say algorithm-driven content fit harm children's psychological and moral development if dem leave am unchecked.

Why responsibility matter

Young content creator Kayla, wey join the summit, believe say everybody get role to play to make sure digital obsession no make children disconnect from the real world.

"I feel say I need to come this event so that I for know personally how I fit participate for media to help children all over the world," she say.

TRT Director General Dr Mehmet Zahid Sobacı say the summit reflect Türkiye's commitment to safeguard children through public broadcasting.

"We believe that protecting children is not only a national duty but a universal responsibility," Sobacı say, adding say TRT dey aim to build "a cleaner, safer and more humane media future for all children."

The summit dey raise important questions: Are we protecting children online or we just dey hope for the best? Are media creators putting children first or dem dey chase clicks? How families go take navigate a world where every screen dey compete for a child's attention?

If children be the foundation of tomorrow, the media dem consume today go help shape the world dem go grow into. To shape that future, gatherings like the Children's Media Summit for Istanbul suppose dey start the conversation.