Better Internet for Kids

For a safer internet

As Belgian children and youth are highly connected and need a digital social life, in 2014, Child Focus opened a helpline for a safer internet to support anyone with concerns or questions about minors’ safety online. This helpline is available at the free emergency number of Child Focus 116 000. The service soon became a huge success, and the number of calls rose quickly to reach an average of 400 cases yearly. 60 per cent of the questions are related to the sexual integrity of minors, and 90 per cent of callers are adults preoccupied with the digital well-being of a minor. However, Child Focus keeps going further and wants to support children and youth directly.

Youth and the digital world

It is not an easy task, as when children and youth are involved in online issues, they tend to remain on their own at first before possibly calling their friends. The recent study on digital habits, “#Generation2020”, led by Média Animation, shows that more than 50 per cent of children and youth confirm having faced troubles online in the form of mean or hurtful messages. Less than a third have also been threatened. In 61 per cent of the cases, the young person received such a message from someone they know well. Only 11 per cent of online troubles came from a stranger. About 20 per cent of children and youth facing problems on the internet do not search for any help nor ask for advice. They mainly talk to their friends (47 per cent), a sibling (27 per cent), a parent (39 per cent), or a teacher (17 per cent). When they face troubles, Generation Z children and youth mostly talk to peers and would rather, as digital natives, chat via text messages than on the phone. 

A double challenge

How can we help those who remain alone with their online troubles, and how can we facilitate meetings and mutual support between young people since they are each other’s primary resource? 

CyberSquad is the answer. This platform is a lot more than just a peer support website; it is a movement that shows solidarity and is a gathering focused on teenagers. They are the ambassadors. They bring valuable content to the CyberSquad community with pride and respect, and are always available to help those in need.

​​​​​​How does it work?

In concrete terms, the platform www.cybersquad.be represents a gathering point. It is a 100 per cent safe online forum for children and youth. Teenagers and young adults can express themselves on several topics, including sexuality, love, friendship, online relationships, cyberbullying, privacy, online reputation, online safety, and more. Themes handled by Child Focus are also tackled: sexting, grooming, and sextortion. Users discuss and find help by asking anonymous questions on the forum. They can share personal experiences and advice or simply consult the forum without participating. The goal is to stimulate mutual assistance among peers by diminishing “adult” interventions. Moderation is planned among Child Focus employees.

A professional team of support

Naturally, in an emergency, users can directly chat with an operation employee from Child Focus via a help button visible everywhere on the website. Professionals are ready to solve any sensitive matters children and youth might have. This chat function will be available on Wednesday afternoons.

Partners

This project for teenagers was made possible by involving teenagers themselves. Young alumni from the Belgian Advertising School (BAS) have developed the name and concept. Junior designers and developers from MolenGeek have built the platform. Schools and youth centres have produced the basic content. Google and Test Achats support the project via their platform CyberSimple.be by creating a new section with answers concerning “teenagers and online safety” for parents and adults. CyberSimple aims to promote a safer internet and raise awareness among users to offer better protection against online risks. This partner platform with similar content is aimed at adults and young adults.

Discover the platform here: www.cybersquad.be. Find out more about Safer Internet Day in Belgium. Alternatively, find out more about the work and initiatives of the Belgian Safer Internet Centre, or find similar information for Safer Internet Centres throughout Europe. On the Better Internet for Kids (BIK) platform, additional valuable tools can be found in the resource repository and the Guide to apps section.