New Paths in Child (Soul) Protection
A professional workshop entitled “New Paths in Child (Soul) Protection” was held at the Mária Kopp Institute for Demography and Families (KINCS), where the President of our Institute presented the latest research of KINCS on the effectiveness of restricting mobile phone use in schools, while clinical psychologist Melinda Hal announced the launch of the National Mental Shield Program to support the mental health of young people.
In his opening speech, Dr. Bence Rétvári emphasized the importance of the family taxation system, the essence of which is that the state compensates those who have children, allowing a number of mothers even to be exempt from paying personal income tax for the rest of their lives. At the same time, the Parliamentary State Secretary of the Ministry of Interior described it as alarming that, in the event of a victory by the Tisza Party next year, the introduction of progressive taxation could endanger family tax allowances and mothers’ personal income tax exemption, which would most negatively affect working parents.
Dr. Zsófia Koncz underlined that as a result of the work started in 2010, a true tax revolution has been achieved: in next year’s budget, HUF 4,802 billion - 5 percent of the GDP - will be allocated to supporting families. The State Secretary for Families drew attention to the fact that the doubling of the family tax allowance affects one million families, and that by 2029 a total of one million mothers will be exempt from paying personal income tax. In addition, the Home Start Program was launched in September, which, in coordination with earlier housing supports, offers unprecedented opportunities for home creation.
Tünde Fűrész presented the results of the latest research of KINCS. The President of our Institute said that two-thirds (66%) of Hungarians support the restriction of smart devices in schools, and eight out of ten parents with young children and large families approve the measure. According to 93 percent of respondents, continuous mobile phone use can cause addiction, and nine out of ten believe that parents themselves should use their phones less. The research also pointed out that one-third of adults spend more than four hours a day on their phones, while three-quarters of young people under 30 spend at least seven hours a day on their mobiles.
According to clinical psychologist Melinda Hal, instability, loneliness, hopelessness, attachment difficulties, and lack of competitiveness have become widespread among young people. To address these problems, the National Mental Shield Program is being launched, aiming to strengthen psychological stability and improve mental competitiveness. The program offers interactive, age-appropriate activities, where participants can seek solutions to their problems under professional guidance. The screening buses offer psychodrama and emotional intelligence development exercises, as well as place particular emphasis on action against online harassment and drug use. The program was created with the involvement of 52 organizations, and its goal is to establish a new national mental health strategy.
According to Government Commissioner László Horváth, the appearance of drugs generates violence, fear, and the fragmentation of communities; in addition, the organized criminal groups behind them also generate other crimes, such as human smuggling, arms trafficking, or prostitution. As he said, drugs are not the luxury of one social group; they do not discriminate by age, social class, or settlement type - therefore, unified social rejection is needed.
Member of Parliament Nóra Király pointed out that in Hungary, for 15 years now, families and children have been at the center of governance. As the founder of the Digital Civil Circle for Child Protection, she stated that the initiative’s goal is to protect children and to guide parents in how to raise healthy, happy adults.
