Better Internet for Kids

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

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 Poland:

• This topic is an important and emerging policy priority with children’s online protection, digital empowerment and digital participation partially covered in national/regional laws, regulations and policies.
• There are separate, dedicated policies which address the topic of children and the digital environment (protection, empowerment, and participation).
• The BIK/BIK+ strategy is not explicitly referred to in national policies but has informed policy development on children and the digital environment.
• National/regional policies and policy documents do not refer to children's rights in the digital environment.

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

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.

• Quantitative data on some aspects of children’s digital activity is collected regularly as part of broader surveys.
• 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 Poland.

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 relating to children and the digital environment.
• There is no coordination mechanism in place: policies, guidelines and programmes relating to children and the digital environment tend to be implemented independently of one another.
• One or more programmes of action is underway supporting children’s online safety and participation in the digital environment.

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

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.

• Various ad hoc multistakeholder groups exist across different branches of government, in which stakeholders may contribute to policy deliberation and development.
• Members of the public are consulted on occasion in the course of the development of new policies. However, this is not always the case.
• 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 policy makers to participate in international knowledge exchange on digital policies for children.

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

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

• The Ministry of Digital Affairs coordinates implementation. Legal solutions to implement the Digital Services Act (DSA) are currently undergoing public consultations. The draft act is under preparation. Pursuant to the Objectives published by the Ministry, the Office of Electronic Communications (Urząd Komunikacji Elektronicznej), the telecommunications and post regulator, will be appointed as the Digital Services Coordinator.

Addressing harmful online content

• New obligations to protect minors from accessing content harmful to minors would fall mainly on providers of sites where such content is presented. It should be kept in mind that some EU regulations (DSA, interim regulation on child sexual abuse material, CSAM) have already strengthened the protection of children on the Internet. Possible new national regulations are, therefore, complementary to the aforementioned acts.
• Children may make a complaint to Dyżurnet.pl hotline to report, among other things, CSAM, as well as pornography or otherwise illegal content according to the Penal Code - with the aim of removing such content from the internet. 

Addressing harmful online conduct

• National/regional laws, regulations or policies are in place to protect children and young people from intimate image abuse or 'the non-consensual sharing of intimate images'. Regulations of the Penal Code cover the issue, and these offences can be investigated by the national law. All citizens can use Art. 14 section 1 of the Act on the Provision of Services by Electronic Means (Dz.U. z 2002 r., nr 144, poz.1204 z późn. zm.). The responsibility of an intermediary (for example, websites publishing texts) begins when the user informs him about the unlawful nature of the published data.
• Regarding cyberbullying, the issue is covered by regulations of the Penal Code, and these offences can be investigated under national law. Children and young people can assert their rights according to general laws. The matter is also covered by general regulations of the Criminal Code.

Age verification and digital identity systems

• Currently, the Ministry of Digital Affairs is considering new legislative solutions to ensure the safety of minors on the Internet and limit the negative impact of harmful content on their development, based, among other things, on an age verification mechanism. In doing so, it is analysing solutions implemented in other European countries, including British and French regulations.
• A person aged 13 or older can create a trusted profile, which allows them to confirm their identity when using electronic government services. They can also create a profile in the mCitizen application, which allows them to use electronic identity documents.

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

• The National Curriculum for General Education describes skills related to the safe use of new technologies.
• The National Policy for Digital Transformation in Education provides students with the skills to safely use new technologies. The National Policy for Digital Transformation in Education will include the issue of the safe and effective use of digital resources.
• The Nationwide Educational Network (referred to as "OSE") is a program operating under the Act on the Nationwide Educational Network of October 27, 2017. According to the act, OSE is a public telecommunications network through which schools receive free access to high-speed internet along with network and ICT security services and services to facilitate access to digital technologies. The operator of OSE is the Naukowa i Akademicka Sieć Komputerowa - Państwowy Instytut Badawczy ("NASK"), supervised by the Minister of Digital Affairs. The provision of ICT security services includes protection against malware, monitoring of threats and network security, and prevention of access to content that may pose a threat to the proper development of children.

Informal education

• The Ministry of Digital Affairs, NASK, UKE and UODO provide a number of educational and informational campaigns aimed at children, young people, as well as parents and teachers, aimed at promoting safe behaviour on the Internet, protecting privacy, and providing guidance on, among other things, preventing cyberbullying or dealing with harmful content.
• In Poland, there are also many non-governmental organisations conducting programs on online safety, including Orange Foundation Poland, Fundacja Dbam o Mój Zasięg, Panaptykon Foundation and The School with Class Foundation. Another significant aspect of informal education is the numerous workshops organised locally by community centres, libraries, common rooms, and the like.
• The Awareness Centre, operating within the Polish Safer Internet Centre, organises numerous webinars, lessons, and workshops for teachers and other professionals interested in online safety. PSIC also hosts the largest conference in Poland dedicated to these issues - the International Conference "Keeping Children and Young People Safe Online".
• The Empowering Children Foundation runs an online educational platform that serves as a publicly accessible knowledge base for teachers regarding online safety.
• In Poland, there are also numerous teacher training centres offering comprehensive courses and workshops. As part of non-governmental organisations, Orange Foundation Poland, together with The Information Society Development Foundation, conducted the "Lekcja:Enter" project focusing on digital didactics, which involved around 80,000 teachers from 10,000 schools.

Empowering through digital skills

• The National Curriculum for IT Education describes skills for the safe use of new technologies.
• The Polish Safer Internet Centre organises the Digital Youth Forum, an event for young people dedicated to positive and creative internet use, as well as utilising the internet for online activism. It also launched the "Dopamina" social campaign, which supports youth in consciously using social media. The books from the "Sieciaki" series educate children in early education about the dangers and benefits of using the Internet. Orange Foundation Poland runs the Mega Misja program for kindergartens and grades one to three of primary schools, aimed at strengthening skills that will help children in the future to use the internet wisely and to foster a culture of expression and digital balance.
• The School with Class Foundation conducts a free educational program for children in primary schools and kindergartens, showing them how to explore the internet safely and responsibly.
• NASK is also coordinating a project in consortium with Romania and Latvia under the Creative Europe program, dedicated to media education and critical thinking: "Make it Clear - educating young people against disinformation”. 

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

• The Children and Youth Council is a consultative body nominated by the Minister of Education. It consists of members under 18 years of age. The Ombudsman of the Rights of Children Office is planning to establish one and actively ask them about their opinion.
• There is also the Youth Panel for the Safer Internet Centre that is being asked for opinion on legislation project however it has no formal policy role. Poland is very active in coordination activities of the Youth IGF that also enables consulting policies and invites to work on polices young digital activists, researchers and others.
• In Poland, the Local Government Act allows for the establishment of youth councils at the county and provincial levels. Youth councils represent youth interests to local government bodies and help integrate youth communities.
• The Children's Rights Ombudsman is also responsible for promoting and raising awareness among children about their rights, including in the context of the online environment.

Inclusivity

• The Awareness Centre, operating under the Polish Safer Internet Centre, strives to ensure maximum accessibility of the educational content. The main events are broadcast online, and sign language interpretation and Ukrainian translation are provided. As part of the Digital Youth Forum organisation, a grant was provided to selected schools to cover transportation costs for attending the in-person event.

Digital creativity

• The National Integrated Educational Platform offers digital educational resources.
• The Polish Safer Internet Centre organises the Digital Youth Forum, numerous events as part of the Youth Panel and Safer Internet Day celebration.
• Samsung runs the Solve for Tomorrow program, where young people create projects that utilise modern technologies to address challenges in today's world.
• Many non-governmental organisations support children in implementing social projects, including by creating positive online content. An example of this is the Zwolnieni z Teorii Foundation. 

BIK+ index 2024: Poland

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 Poland 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.