Better Internet for Kids

As part of the Better Internet for Kids (BIK) Quality Assurance Programme (QAP), the Insafe-INHOPE Coordination Teams are jointly conducting a set of fifteen country visits to national Safer Internet Centres (SICs) to better understand what is happening in the Member States: monitoring emerging issues and challenges, identifying good practices to be shared, and harvesting the results of Better Internet for Kids (BIK) policy. On 18-19 February 2025, an online cluster meeting took place with the Norwegian and Swedish SICs.

In 2024, the Finnish hotline received 8,615 reports of suspected child sexual abuse. Over 5,000 reports contained child sexual abuse material. Additionally, the hotline found more than 3,000 images or web addresses that contained child sexual abuse as part of its proactive work. Grooming or other activity related to child sexual abuse was contained in 74 reports.

The Netflix series "Adolescence" shows in a shocking way what consequences dangerous online communities, cyberbullying and psychological stress can have.

The city of Vienna has been tasked with creating its own digital charter centred around the digital rights of children and young people. In a series of workshops, 100 young people between the ages of 16 and 20 from three types of schools were involved.

The Portuguese Institute of Sport and Youth (IPDJ), part of the Portuguese Safer Internet Centre, participated in the two largest education, training, and youth-centred fairs in Portugal: Qualifica (12-15 March 2025) at Exponor in Oporto, and Futurália (26-29 March 2025) at the Lisbon International Fair (FIL).

Editing images and videos using AI is very popular among children and young people. The Austrian Safer Internet Centre explains what parents should look out for in such apps.

Safer Internet Day is celebrated annually on the second Tuesday in February, and this year for the first time with a full month of activities. As a partner of the Safer Internet Centre Consortium in Portugal, Microsoft joined forces with the National Republican Guard (GNR) and local municipalities to promote a safer and more responsible use of online technology. With this year's theme of 'digital citizenship', the mission is to empower every person and organisation in the world to achieve more.

As part of the celebrations in Portugal for the 22nd edition of Safer Internet Day (SID), a roadshow focusing on digital citizenship education took place on 12 and 13 February.

Three years ago, the European Commission adopted a new European strategy for a Better Internet for Kids (BIK+), to improve age-appropriate digital services and to ensure that every child is protected, empowered and respected online. We take this opportunity to reflect on the impact of the BIK+ strategy three years after its adoption, and to look at the many policy developments that have happened over the course of the past year.

The Better Internet for Kids (BIK) Policy monitor continues to serve as a key reference for understanding how European countries are shaping a safer and more empowering digital world for children and young people. Now in its sixth edition, the 2025 report builds on over a decade of comparative policy tracking, providing valuable insights into the national implementation of the European strategy for a Better Internet for Kids (BIK+), three years after its adoption.