Better Internet for Kids

“Your safe place” is a section of SaferInternet4Kids and SafeLine (part of the Greek Safer Internet Centre), and it is an online space designed specifically to support children who may encounter harmful, confusing, or frightening experiences online. It aims to provide guidance, reassurance, and practical support.

On 18 November, the European day for the protection of children against sexual exploitation and sexual abuse, Child Focus (part of the Belgian Safer Internet Centre) launched the online platform “Payboy” to shed light on the issue of sextortion.

Through synergies resulting from the Cabinet of the Portuguese Minister of the Presidency and the National Cybersecurity Centre, and within the Portuguese Safer Internet Centre, a national digital campaign against cyberbullying was launched in Portugal in autumn 2025.

The Hungarian Safer Internet Centre (SIC), operated by the International Children’s Safety Service (ICSS), organised its Media and Internet Conference on 11-12 September 2025. A wide range of speakers were invited to present their perspectives on how digital child welfare can be enhanced, to share insights into current trends, and to put forward recommendations.

On 7 and 9 July 2025, the Portuguese Safer Internet Centre (SIC) took part in the design thinking workshop led by the “Innovation and Analytics” Lab at NOVA IMS, in Lisbon.

The final selection bootcamp for the 2025 Cybersecurity Challenge in Portugal (CSCPT2025) was held in Gouveia from 11 to 13 July 2025. Throughout the weekend, 22 young participants worked together in teams during various training sessions and the solving of different CTFs (“Capture the Flags”, gamified challenges testing security skills), showing exemplary dedication and mutual respect.

In the Danish digital helpline Cyberhus, counsellors meet with children and young people daily. They need, for various reasons, someone to talk to in a digital context. Sometimes, it may be young people in particularly vulnerable positions who need a trustworthy adult to confide in, or it may be young people simply seeking a sense of community with peers to reflect themselves in. Some young people come only once and find what they need – and then there are those who return repeatedly.

A significant step forward for child protection in Macedonia occurred as the first children’s embassy in the world (Megjashi) has officially received the decision from the Agency for Electronic Communications (AEC) to operate the European child helpline number 116 111 for the first time in the country. Technical implementation is now underway.

Child Focus deals with six new cases of missing minors every day. Five times a day, this involves a young person who has run away. In 2024, Child Focus handled 542 cases of minors who were sexually exploited (non-consensual sexting, grooming, sextortion, sexual exploitation in prostitution). All these difficult situations have one thing in common: the child or young person had no one to turn to.

While online scams are not a new phenomenon, their level of sophistication has increased significantly in recent years. The Irish Safer Internet Centre shares tips for parents and caregivers.