Better Internet for Kids

On 5 March 2026, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen hosted the first meeting of the Special Panel on child safety online. Read more from BIK Youth ambassor Maja's point of view, who participated in the meeting.

One in five children has, at some point in their life, sent someone a partially nude or nude photo of themselves. Nearly half of children say they have received such an image from someone else. The amount of intimate material involving minors circulating online is on the rise.

On 5 March 2026, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen hosted the first meeting of the Special Panel on child safety online. Read more from BIK Youth ambassor Gabriele's point of view, who participated in the meeting.

This year’s theme in Ireland was “AI aware: safe, smart and in control”, and invited parents, caregivers, schools, educators, young people, and all stakeholders to consider how AI technologies shape children’s experiences online.

Safer Internet Day 2026 brought together schools, families, professionals, young people, and the wider community across Malta to reflect on how to build a safer, more respectful, and emotionally supportive digital environment.

Exciting presentations, panel discussions and plenty of opportunity for exchange – this was what the SID 2026 conference "Safer internet – growing up in the digital world" organised by the Austrian Safer Internet Centre had to offer, focusing on the everyday online lives of children and young people. Around 220 visitors attended the sold-out event, which took place in Vienna on 12 February 2026.

As announced in the recently adopted EU Action plan against cyberbullying, the updated guidelines on tackling disinformation and promoting digital literacy through education and training have now been published.

Every year in Finland, Safer Internet Day is celebrated as part of the week-long Media Literacy Week. In 2026, the focus was particularly on themes related to media use, including digital safety skills, digital well-being, digital media content, and everyday media literacy skills.

The Portuguese Safer Internet Centre (SIC) is an active partner of GILM (the Informal Group on Media Literacy) and was part of the organising team of the seventh Literacy, Media and Citizenship Congress. The event took place on 27 and 28 November 2025 at the Faculty of Arts and Humanities of the University of Coimbra, and it is the longest-running initiative promoted by GILM.

The results of a new youth study by the Austrian Safer Internet Centre show that AI chatbots are becoming important companions, but the risks and knowledge gaps regarding how they work are underestimated.