Help on the Digital Path
An analysis of what young people in Montenegro know, believe and need when it comes to digital rights, privacy and safety online.
Published by NVO UZOR, this analysis maps the knowledge, attitudes and needs of young people in Montenegro across digital rights, privacy, online safety, freedom of expression, disinformation and media literacy. The picture it draws is of a generation that is fluent with technology but not yet empowered as digital citizens: they know they have rights online, but often not how to exercise them or whom to turn to when those rights are violated.
The research combined three focus groups with 35 participants aged 18 to 30 from the south, centre and north of the country, evaluation data from the two-day “Digital Shield for Youth” training, and interviews with representatives of institutions and civil society. Recurring problems surfaced in every region: weak preventive security habits, a resigned acceptance that lost privacy is simply the price of using digital services, daily exposure to manipulative content, and the normalisation of hate speech in everyday online communication.
The training itself was rated 4.86 out of 5, and every respondent who completed the evaluation said they would recommend it to peers — evidence that the gap is one of access to practical education, not of interest. The analysis closes with eight recommendations for institutions, the education system, civil society and young people themselves. It was produced as part of the “Digital (De)construction of Lies” project, under the EU-supported Montenegrin Digital Shield programme run by CGO with the SHARE Foundation.
Key findings
- 01Young Montenegrins are heavy, capable internet users, but not yet fully empowered digital citizens.
- 02Method: three focus groups, 35 participants aged 18–30, plus training evaluation and interviews with institutions and NGOs.
- 03Preventive security habits are weak, and loss of privacy is widely accepted as the cost of using digital services.
- 04Exposure to disinformation and normalised hate speech is a daily reality, not an exception.
- 05The “Digital Shield for Youth” training scored 4.86/5, with 100% of respondents recommending it to peers.
- 06Eight recommendations: media literacy in schools, clear reporting procedures, continuous practical training, algorithmic literacy and youth participation in policymaking.