About the Institute for Digital Citizenship Foundation

The Institute for Digital Citizenship Foundation (ICO) is an independent research and education centre working at the intersection of technology, public health, and human rights.

The Foundation conducts research, develops educational programmes, and produces expert recommendations that support schools, families, and public institutions in using technology safely and responsibly. Its work spans individual behaviour, community education, and systemic policy change in Poland and through international collaboration.

Our Approach

The Foundation applies a public health framework to the digital environment, recognising that wellbeing in the digital world is shaped not only by individual choices, but also by educational systems, technological design, regulation, and broader social conditions. Responsibility for the digital commons is shared by users, creators, and institutions alike.

Two key concepts underpin this work:

digital hygiene

health-protective behaviours related to the use of digital technologies, particularly the internet and screen devices


digital citizenship

the rights and responsibilities of all actors in the digital space, understood as a shared public good.

Areas of Activity

The Foundation conducts original research on the impact of digital technologies on health, development, and rights across age groups. Its flagship study, the National Digital Hygiene Survey of Adult Polish Citizens, has been published in two editions (2023 and 2025), co-organised with the Orange Foundation under the honorary patronage of the Warsaw Medical University.

The 2025 report finds that while few Polish adults consistently practise recommended digital hygiene behaviours, half express a desire to improve them. A free self-assessment tool based on the study’s methodology is available at www.higienacyfrowa.pl.

The Foundation also co-organises the Internet of Children report – a monitoring initiative on the online presence of children and young people in Poland, conducted in partnership with the State Commission for the Prevention of Sexual Abuse of Minors, Polskie Badania Internetu, and Gemius, under the patronage of the Polish Parliament. The report is available in Polish and English.

The Foundation runs Lessons on Digital Hygiene, a free monthly educational programme providing materials for parents, teachers, and educators, including introductory podcasts and lesson plans for different age groups. 

In October 2024, the Foundation supported the launch of Poland’s inaugural postgraduate course in digital hygiene for professionals in schools, counselling centres, HR departments, local governments, NGOs, and cultural institutions. 

The Foundation also serves as expert partner in several school-based programmes: Warsaw Protects Children Online (warszawa chroni dzieci w sieci), a city initiative delivering digital hygiene training to students, teachers, and parents across Warsaw schools and kindergartens; Life is Too Short for Hate (Szkoda życia na hejt), organised by the UNIQA Foundation, now in its fourth edition, providing free workshops on hate speech and cyberbullying to primary schools across Poland; and ABC of Digital Hygiene (ABC higieny cyfrowej), offering free digital hygiene training to primary schools nationwide, in cooperation with Orange Foundation.

The Foundation engages in legislative and consultative processes related to digitisation, education, and children’s rights. It supports the work of the Parliamentary Committee for Children and Youth, contributes to social consultations on digital regulation, and is a co-initiator and early signatory of the Charter of Children’s Rights in Business under the Responsible Business Forum. The Foundation also monitors EU policy developments and draws on best practices from across Europe.

The Foundation promotes digital hygiene through workshops, lectures, media engagement, and participation in business, educational, and scientific events. Its public outreach is supported by two books by Foundation president Magdalena Bigaj: Growing Up with Screens (Wychowanie przy ekranie), addressed to parents and educators, and Your Phone, Your Rules (Twój telefon, twoje zasady), published in September 2025 and directed at young people, guiding them toward a more intentional relationship with their devices.

Download the "Children's Internet" report

Get a complete picture of your children's online habits – download the "Children's Internet" report and see what conclusions might surprise you. Don't rely on guesswork – see hard data and expert recommendations.

About us & Contact

The Foundation operates across Poland and in collaboration with international partners, engaging researchers, educators, technology creators, and policymakers in a shared effort to strengthen digital sovereignty, wellbeing, and human rights in the digital age.

www.cyfroweobywatelstwo.pl & digital hygiene knowledge base: www.higienacyfrowa.pl

Justyna Hofmokl, PhD
j.hofmokl@cyfroweobywatelstwo.pl
Head of Research and EU Representative at Institute for Digital Citizenship Foundation