Better Internet for Kids

Here, we take an in-depth look at the latest monitoring information for Bulgaria.

BIK policies

Policy design asks whether evidence and research support BIK-related policies and whether systems are in place for monitoring and evaluating those policies.

Policy frameworks

Policy frameworks describe the overarching approach for a better internet, and establish the underlying goals, principles and guidelines that shape individual policies within this area.

In Bulgaria:

• This topic is an important and emerging policy priority.
• It is covered by broader policies rather than separate dedicated policies that address the protection, empowerment, and participation of children and the digital environment.
• The BIK/BIK+ strategy has not influenced national policies on children and the environment.
• Children's rights in the digital environment are not explicitly recognised in national/regional policy documents but receive implicit support in policies dealing with children's digital activity.

Read the full Policy monitor country profile for detailed information on key national policy frameworks in Bulgaria.

Policy design

Policy design asks whether evidence and research support BIK-related policies and whether systems are in place for monitoring and evaluating those policies.

• Surveys of children’s digital activities are undertaken only irregularly. The Bulgarian Safer Internet Centre is the only organisation gathering specific data about children’s digital experiences on a daily basis.
• There is no system in place at the government level to gather information on children and the digital environment.
• There is little or no funding available for research on children and the digital environment.
• There is no systematic monitoring or evaluation of policies on children and the digital environment.

Read the full Policy monitor country profile for detailed information on recent national research studies in Bulgaria.

Policy governance

Policy governance examines how policies are coordinated at the governmental level, whether other implementation bodies are involved in their delivery, and whether structured mechanisms are available to guide their implementation.

• Policy development sits across a range of ministries, and no lead is specifically assigned responsibility for developing government policies, guidelines, and programmes related to children and the digital environment.
• Coordination happens more informally across the different departments and entities contributing to government policies, guidelines, and programmes regarding children and the digital environment.
• One or more programmes of action are underway to support children’s online safety and participation in the digital environment. However, these lack accountability mechanisms such as defined timelines, assigned responsibilities, or key performance indicators (KPIs).

Read the full Policy monitor country profile for detailed information on key policy governance mechanisms in Bulgaria.

Stakeholder involvement

Stakeholder involvement enquires how different stakeholders can participate in policy development. Children’s involvement in policy-making is one such key issue. Additionally, international knowledge exchange about children's digital participation is also relevant to this topic.

• A formal mechanism has yet to be created at the government level for stakeholder groups to contribute to policy deliberation and development.
• Members of the public are regularly and routinely consulted as part of the policy development process.
• Children are listened to directly in the policy development process (e.g., through hearings, consultations, specific surveys) but are not formally involved in decision-making.
• There are occasional opportunities for policymakers to participate in international knowledge exchange on digital policies for children.

Read the full Policy monitor country profile for detailed information on key stakeholder involvement mechanisms in Bulgaria.

BIK+ actions

Pillar 1 – safe digital experiences

Safe digital experiences refer to actions taken to protect children from harmful and illegal online content, conduct, contact, and risks as young consumers and to improve their well-being online through a safe, age-appropriate digital environment created in a way that respects children’s best interests.

Responses to EU laws

• Legislation to implement the Digital Services Act (DSA), e.g., designate competent authorities, and provide necessary powers for its enforcement, is currently in development.
• Draft proposals outline the role and authority of the Bulgarian Digital Services Coordinator (DSC) and designate the Communications Regulation Commission (CRC) as the national DSC. The CRC monitors non-video-sharing intermediary service providers to ensure compliance with the DSA, while video-sharing platforms fall under the control of the Council for Electronic Media (CEM). The CEM already monitors providers of video-sharing platforms for compliance with the Radio and Television Act, which transposes the Audiovisual Media Services Directive.

Addressing harmful online content

• Definitions of harmful online content included in laws, regulations or policies at the country level are included in the relevant sections of the Criminal Code dealing with child sexual abuse material, pornography, and radicalisation.
• The Ministry of Interior's Cybercrime department has the power to order the removal or disabling of access to online content that is potentially harmful to children.
• Children may complain to the following administrative bodies about harmful (illegal) content: the Ministry of Interior, the Cybercrime Department, the Safer Internet Centre, including its Hotline and Helpline, or the national helpline 116 111.

Addressing harmful online conduct

• Non-consensual sharing of intimate images is covered under the Criminal Code. Prevention activities are assigned under Child Strategy, which is currently under development. Prevention activities are part of the Action Plan for Child Protection.
• Currently, there are no national/regional laws, regulations or policies in place to protect children and young people from cyberbullying. The Safer Internet Centre is the only organisation that reacts to reports of online bullying and deals with it expertly.

Age verification and digital identity systems

• There are no national/regional laws, technical standards or policies in place regarding age verification mechanisms to restrict minors from accessing adult online content services.
• Digital identity systems available for minors are not available.

Pillar 2 – digital empowerment

Digital empowerment incorporates actions so that all children, including those in vulnerable situations, acquire the necessary skills and competences to make sound choices and express themselves in the online environment safely and responsibly.

Supports in formal education

• Teaching online safety and digital literacy has been incorporated into the national/regional school curriculum. However, not many teachers have been trained to work with children on these topics.
• Currently, there are no national/regional strategies to support online safety policies in schools. 
• Teacher training for online safety is in place. The Ministry of Education has a special annual programme for the qualification of teachers.

Other examples include:

• Between March 2020 and July 2021, the Bulgarian SIC and the team of the 90th High School Gen. José de San Martín in Sofia have been collaboratively testing the Comprehensive Model for Building Key Competences in Schools.
• In 2021, experts from the Bulgarian SIC and the CEGA Foundation conducted training for teachers from all over the country on how to identify fake news, misinformation, and media manipulation and how to develop the skills of assessing the trustworthiness of information in their students.
• In June 2021, the Bulgarian SIC, together with the Media Literacy Coalition, conducted a series of online trainings for teachers on "Media Literacy Through My Subject". It also developed a series of six educational animation videos for children addressing common online risks, such as cyberbullying, “hacked” accounts, screen time, and “digital footprints”. Teachers can use them to initiate discussions on online safety and appropriate and inappropriate conduct in the digital environment at their schools.

Informal education

• Online safety is part of the Pre-school and School Education Law, and the Ministry of Education is in charge of its implementation.
• In 2021, within the Care for Truth initiative, experts from the Bulgarian SIC developed three practical manuals that are available online. The manuals are focused on building capacity among Roma leaders and mediators, Roma and Pro-Roma activists, as well as teachers, equipping them with specific methods and tools on how to detect, monitor and counter misinformation and media manipulation that fuel stereotypes and negative attitudes towards certain communities such as the Roma.
• The Media Literacy Coalition, established in 2017, continued its active work in 2021. The Coalition includes the Bulgarian SIC, the Institute for Progressive Education, the Centre for Inclusive Education, the Association of European Journalists in Bulgaria, Teach for Bulgaria, the National Network for Children, Education Bulgaria 2030, and the Voice of the Children Foundation.

Empowering through digital skills

• National/regional activities are in place to support young people’s digital literacy skills for online communication and collaboration. The Safer Internet Centre implements a range of activities in partnership with the Ministry of Education.
• Regional initiatives are also available under the National "Non-violent educational environment", which has a special focus on preventing online bullying and hate speech.
• In 2021, the “Find Another Way” campaign was finalised. The campaign aims to encourage critical thinking and tolerant attitudes in young people aged 14- 20. “Find Another Way” was implemented by a partnership between the Bulgarian Safer Internet Centre, the Centre for the Study of Democracy (CSD) and the d:istinkt Communication Agency in the framework of the “Resilient Youth against Far-right Extremist Messaging Online” (YouthRightOn) Project. The Project was funded by the European Union’s Internal Security Fund — Police of the European Union.

Pillar 3 – active participation, respecting children’s rights

Active participation, respecting children’s rights, refers to actions which give children and young people a say in the digital environment, with more child-led activities to foster innovative and creative safe digital experiences.

Active participation

• Activities to promote active participation, youth civic engagement and advocacy in the digital environment are in place.
• Such activities are happening under the regional initiatives under the national "non-violent educational environment" and are part of the school curriculum and different educational forms such as civic education, practical classes and project-based activities.
• A Regulation under the Chairperson of the State Agency for Child Protection stipulates the creation of the National Children's Council, which ensures youth participation in decision-making bodies at the national and regional levels, including the National Child's Assembly.
• The Bulgarian Safer Internet Centre's youth panel is a voluntary structure that has been a successful form of youth participation since 2010. Its members are young people aged 14-18 who meet face-to-face regularly to develop their digital and media skills and play an important role in the initiatives and events organised by the Bulgarian SIC and its partners.
• The Bulgarian Safer Internet Centre also partnered in the annual youth forum "Voice it: opinion matters", organised by the Megaphone Youth Network and the National Network for Children and held on 19 November 2021. Due to the epidemic situation, for the second year in a row, the forum gathered a small group of panellists but was broadcast live on the Facebook page of the National Network for Children.

Inclusivity

• Activities to promote awareness of children’s rights from part of the school curriculum and different educational forms such as civic education, practical classes and project-based activities. The State Agency for Children also did unanimous research on children's rights in Sofia, Varna, and Plovdiv, which covered over 3500 children. In addition, under the Nation Programme for Prevention of Violence and Abuse and the Action Plan on the Implementation, more than 10 activities are related to children's rights in the digital environment.
• The Nation Child Assembly Initiative and Child's Ombudsman in Schools cover children's inclusiveness and participation. Under these initiatives, children are trained in the role of the Ombudsman in more than 50 schools in Bulgaria.
• The new Strategy on Child Protection, currently under development, contains more than 10 measures relevant to BIK+ topics and will be published (when ready) in a child-friendly version.

Digital creativity

• There are currently no national/regional activities to stimulate the production and visibility of positive digital content and services for children.
• There are currently no national/regional activities to encourage children’s digital creativity and to promote creative uses of digital technologies.

BIK+ index 2024: Bulgaria

The BIK+ index has been developed to provide an aggregated at-a-glance overview of the levels of implementation across the two dimensions, BIK policies and BIK+ actions, in Bulgaria compared to the EU27+2 average. Values are shown in per cent.

Please note, the data used in this page and the corresponding country profile was collected in February 2024.