It is a pleasure to see how this day is becoming more and more important in the country and is being commemorated more and more by both companies and individuals. The event is not only intended for organisations that deal with security, prevention, education and intervention on the internet, but the participation of the general public, including children, students and parents, or state and educational institutions, is welcome.

For those who wanted to get involved and were looking for inspiration, the Czech SIC prepared - in cooperation with JSNS, the Police of the Czech Republic and the E-safety project – an online guide in with dozens of tips and advice for different age groups. The manual can be used throughout the year, as it contains a wide range of games, tutorials, courses and inspiration. The handbook reached dozens of schools that found the activities an interesting addition to their lessons.

Pupils from Mládí Orlová Primary school had a great idea. Class 9.B set the task to support this year's Safer Internet Day with their presentation. They focused on basic topics about internet security, but also on tricky situations in the online world, and prepared them for their younger classmates as well. They chose the format that suited them. They gave their classmates a business card with a QR code, which they then simply scanned and flicked through the prepared presentation. They could stop by the video, compete or learn something new. Pupils from Dyjákovice Primary School took a creative approach to celebrate the day.

For Safer Internet Day, we also prepared a press conference and subsequent expert panel in cooperation with the Ministry of the Interior. One of the topics was the growing cybercrime. Compared to 2021 alone, the number of reported crimes has increased from 9,518 to 18,554, i.e. by almost 100 per cent. Media literacy, education and prevention were among the other topics we addressed in the expert panel. The importance of this day was underlined by the participation of Deputy Prime Minister for Digitalisation and Minister for Regional Development Ivan Bartoš, the Director of NÚKIB Lukáš Kintra, the First Deputy Minister of the Interior Lukáš Kolářík and Brigadier General Tomáš Kubík representing the Police of the Czech Republic. The activities of the Czech Safer Internet Center were then presented by the Executive Director of the CZ.NIC Association Ondřej Filip.

On this day, our partner in the project, People in Need, published a survey mapping the state of media literacy in schools. Social media was also lively with hundreds of posts under the official hashtags of #SID2023 and #SaferInternetDay.

The Czech SIC wishes to thank everyone who got involved and participated, for helping us make the internet safer. 

Find out more about Safer Internet Day in the Czech Republic. Alternatively, find out more about the work of the Czech Safer Internet Centre, including its awareness raising, helpline, hotline and youth participation services – or find similar information for Safer Internet Centres throughout Europe.