Better Internet for Kids

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

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 Slovenia:

• This topic is an important and emerging policy priority.
• It is covered by broader policies rather than separate dedicated policies that address protection, empowerment, and participation of children and the digital environment.
• The BIK+ strategy is not explicitly referred to in national policies but has informed policy development on children and the digital environment. 
• Children's rights in the digital environment are not explicitly recognised in national 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 Slovenia.

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 but only irregularly.
• Systems are in place at the government level to gather information on children and the digital environment (e.g., dedicated research units, think tanks or commissions)
• Existing national research funding is available for research on children and the digital environment, but this is not explicitly specified.
• Policies are monitored and evaluated but not systematically. It depends on the needs at a particular time or when policies are being considered.

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

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.

• The lead ministry, public agency or regulatory authority is an informal arrangement depending on the requirements at a particular point in time.
• Coordination happens more informally across the different departments and entities which contribute to government policies, guidelines and programmes relating to children and the digital environment.
• There is a defined national action plan for children and the digital environment with accountabilities 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 Slovenia.

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 regularly and routinely consulted as part of the policy development process.
• Children are actively involved in designing policies related to their participation in the digital environment, and specially designed structures are in place for this purpose.
• Policymakers actively participate in various EU-level and other international inter-governmental groups related to digital policies for children.

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

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

• In line with Audiovisual Media Services Directive (AVMSD) provisions, the Slovenian AVMS Act (Art. 38b) regulates the protection of minors from programs, user-generated videos and audiovisual commercial communications which may impair their physical, mental or moral development on VSPs.
• Codes of practice/codes of conduct for digital service providers at the country level regarding children’s online safety, e.g., related to Art28b AVMSD, are in development.
• Legislation for implementing the Digital Services Act (DSA) is in development. The Agency for Communication Networks and Services of the Republic of Slovenia (AKOS) is designated as the competent authority (DSC) to monitor enforcement for Slovenia. 

Addressing harmful online content

• Harmful online content is covered by different national laws implementing relevant EU legislation (General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), Media and Audiovisual legislation, Criminal Directives and Regulations, etc.) For example, the National Criminal Code does not provide an exact definition of harmful online content, but it covers different criminal offences, including sexual abuse of children (also for online offences; Art. 143 (personal data), Art. 173. (sexual assault on a person younger than fifteen years of age), Art. 173a (solicitation of persons under fifteen years of age for sexual purposes).
• Slovenian Media and AVMS legislation do not currently define harmful online content. The general act on the protection of children in AVMS is used only for AVMS and defines content which may impair the development of different age groups of children.
• The SI Information Commissioner has published awareness-raising materials and guidelines on advertising and privacy: ‘An informed consumer – who is allowed to process my personal data and why?’.

Addressing harmful online conduct

• The Slovenian Police actively cooperates with the Spletno oko hotline. Cooperation. The hotline notifies the police of detected incidents reported by individuals to the Spletno oko reporting facility. Incidents can relate to an individual (victim) or to websites that show sexual abuse or sexual exploitation of children.
• Non-consensual sharing of intimate images is covered under the framework of sexual offences and criminal legislation.
• The inclusion of cyber security topics, including cyberbullying, online hate speech, etc., in primary and secondary school curricula is one of the goals of the Cyber Security Strategy (introduced in 2016) and even more for the new Cyber Security Strategy, planned to be adopted in 2024.

Age verification and digital identity systems

• Activities regarding age verification mechanisms to restrict minors from accessing adult online content services are currently in development.
• According to national legislation, AKOS has the full power to monitor and sanction compliance with legal provisions on the protection of minors accessible via on-demand AVMS (Programs that could seriously impair the physical, mental or moral development of children and minors may only be accessible via on-demand AVMS and have to be limited by technical protection in a manner that ensures that children and minors will normally not be able to hear or see them).
• Digital identity systems available to minors are in place. The special 'digital identity' for participants in education is already enabled and its further implementation is under development. The digital identity is assigned by Arnes (username and email address) also for pupils who, for example, enter online classrooms or use other digital services at school. 

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 teaching of online safety has been incorporated into the national/regional school curriculum. Within the framework of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan of the Republic of Slovenia (NRRP), further curriculum reform is underway by the National Education Institute and the Centre for Vocational Education and Training.
• In Slovenia, there is no national/regional strategy to support online safety policies in schools, especially on expected behaviour, smartphone use, dealing with cyberbullying incidents, and the like. However, this issue is addressed in The Digital Education Action Plan 2021-2027 (ANDI).
• A Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) dedicated to online safety has been offered by ARNES since 2015; more than 15,000 teachers and other professionals have already participated. The courses (MOOCs) "My Digital Identity" and "Safe Use of the Internet and Devices" are also implemented in the ongoing project "Digitally Competent Teacher."

Informal education

• Activities to reinforce informal education (i.e., lifelong learning opportunities outside the formal education system) about online safety are in place. The Action Plan of the Digital Public Services Strategy 2030 contributes to digitisation and will have the greatest impact, along with the broader ecosystem of related stakeholders.

Empowering through digital skills

• Activities to develop and promote peer-to-peer training and support programmes in online safety are in place.
• In 2023, the Ministry of Education launched four experimental projects (as part of NRRP; 2023-2026) for comprehensive enhancement and assessment of digital competences and fundamental computer science and informatics topics.
• The Digitally Competent Teacher project (2023-2026; already launched) is planned within a learning community at the national level in Slovenia, as well as learning communities at most educational institutions in Slovenia by 2026 for mutual (peer-to-peer) training and reflective activities.
• External stakeholders (e.g., Galerija Kapelica, Zavod 404, and national/international companies, especially in the EdTech sector) are also active in enhancing digital competencies and skills in team problem-solving.
• The Awareness Centre Safe.si has developed various educational resources aimed at helping teachers, parents and carers, children and young people to discover the online world safely, including a focus on media literacy.
• As part of the Action Plan for Digital Education, activities for the development of media literacy on digital platforms are envisaged, primarily from the perspective of enhancing digital competencies, critical thinking, etc.
• The website for the promotion of media and information literacy – MiPi created in  2023 by AKOS - plays a key role in enhancing media and information literacy and positioning itself as one of the pioneering European National Regulatory Authorities (NRAs) in this domain.
• In 2023, the Strategic Council for Preventing Hate Speech was established and plays a key role in fostering digital civil courage. The Strategic Council actively considers Recommendation 11, focusing on how public support measures and private sector initiatives contribute to the realisation of key digital rights and principles, with a specific emphasis on creating a protected, safe, and secure digital environment. 

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

• Youth participation is strongly promoted through the Office of the Republic of Slovenia for Youth (URSM) and the Ombudsman of the Republic of Slovenia. The National Children’s Parliaments are a programme, led by the NGO Slovenian Association of Friends of Youth.
• Youth participation is promoted through URSM, and young are involved in the public consideration of the different governmental legislative proposals etc.. Young people are systematically consulted and informed through URSM web page, introduced for the central youth information and communication in Slovenia.
• Two children from the Network for Children's Rights are also proposed as members of the Council of the Republic of Slovenia for Children and Family.

Inclusivity

• Various EU documents and regulations and guidelines from UNESCO, OECD, and the Council of Europe are relevant in SI and reflected in national policies or policy documents. For example, the Digital Slovenia 2030 strategy recognises the importance of the ‘accessibility of user interfaces ’ and the importance of the ‘terms of use of services for children’.

Digital creativity

• Within curricula and projects, the Ministry of Education promotes and encourages young people to use positive content and applications. For example, in 2023, the ministry upgraded 41 e-textbooks and developed more than 15 interactive e-learning materials.
• The project Časoris is an award-winning free online newspaper for children. It offers news children can trust – timely, relevant articles on current affairs. Information is put in context and presented in child-friendly language.
• In collaboration with other ministries, schools, and organisations, the Ministry of Digital Transformation carried out several activities in 2023 aimed at encouraging children to create, think critically, and solve challenges using new technologies while also highlighting the pitfalls of technology.

BIK+ index 2024: Slovenia

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 Slovenia 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.