Better Internet for Kids

Day one: emerging challenges and online safety, and new SICs joining the Insafe network

This edition of the Insafe Training meeting includes a series of online sessions spanning over three mornings, from 13 to 15 October 2026. Today, the training meeting officially starts at 10:00 CEST with a welcome address from Better Internet for Kids and the European Commission.

Shortly after, the opening keynote address will consider some of the latest and emerging challenges in online safety and identify implications for Safer Internet Centres.

The following session will provide an opportunity to hear from the new members of the Insafe network - Moldova, Serbia, and Ukraine - who will share some information about their SIC and the work they are doing, and exchange views with the other SICs attending on what could be shared challenges and opportunities for collaboration.

The morning will also include a customary resource competition to showcase the diverse range of educational resources and videos created by the network; each finalist will deliver a short pitch to encourage others to vote for their resource.

Day two: EU Kids Act and EU Kids Online research

The second day will start with three parallel sessions ("Connect, share and learn"), where SICs will be invited to share their views and experiences in a structured discussion: one session focusing on awareness-raising activities addressing network plans for campaigns and communication activities (particularly those focused on showcasing the Insafe network and BIK activities); one session focusing on well-being for helpline counsellors offering simple tools to recognise stress, regulate the nervous system, and create a healthy transition fromwork to personal time; and one session focusing on youth participation where colleagues from the Safer Internet Centres in Slovakia and Ukraine will share information about peer-to-peer approaches that they use to tackle cyberbullying with children and young people. The Slovakian SIC will also present its digiPEERS project and the Ukrainian SIC its cyberbullying quest for younger learners.

The following plenary session will share updates following the publication of the EU Kids Act “EU Keeping Internet Digital Spaces Accountable and Trustworthy” proposal and will include time for questions and explanations. The second day will conclude with a session focusing on research where Professor Sonia Livingstone will provide an overview of the recent EU Kids Online research, Children’s use, views and worries on age bans and social media, which was published earlier in 2026. The report considers children’s screen use across the day, their online activities, who has a social media profile, experiences of safety and communication online, exposure to harmful content, children’s worries, and their views of age-based restrictions. 

Day three: AI developments and AI literacy

The third and final day will also start with three parallel "Connect, share and learn" sessions: one session will focus on the EU Action plan against cyberbullying and will explore how SICs and primarily awareness centres are addressing the EU Action plan against cyberbullying in their work. It will explore good practice in creating resources, as well as approaches and outreach. There will also be an opportunity to consider next steps; one session will discuss trusted flaggers and will hear from helplines, as well as from industry (Snap and Meta) and the European Commission, and consider what is left of trusted partner arrangements since the appointment of designated trusted flaggers under the DSA; and one session will focus on challenges that SICs are facing in encouraging children and young people to engage and participate in youth panel activities.

The following round of parallel sessions will entirely focus on the opportunities and risks of artificial intelligence:

• Empowered by AI will consider how to ensure that persons with disabilities across Europe can develop artificial intelligence literacy skills and use AI effectively. The session will be delivered by the European Disability Forum: further information about this topic can be found here or by watching the introductory video.
• Beyond prompting - AI literacy will explore AI literacy for democratic participation and active citizenship.
• AI resources from SICs will showcase some of the resources that have been created by the Safer Internet Centres in Ireland and Luxembourg.

The final session of the day and of the training meeting will explore some of the implications of agentic AI for youth safety. It will highlight what SICs should watch for and where the plausible risks lie as adoption widens. It will also consider how young people create and encounter harmful synthetic content, and how they interact with conversational AI chatbots.

If you wish to learn more about the work of the European network of Safer Internet Centres and other stakeholders in the field, visit the Better Internet for Kids (BIK) portal and subscribe to the quarterly BIK bulletin for news and resources on the latest trends and challenges online.