Better Internet for Kids

klicksafe (part of the German Safer Internet Centre) gives young people the opportunity to have their say on issues relating to media literacy and online safety. This allows them to play an active role in shaping klicksafe's future topics. For this very reason, back in 2009, klicksafe started a youth advisory board, the klicksafe Youth Panel. The Youth Panel has already created materials such as the klicksafe quiz on the topic of in-game purchases, or the cyberbullying first aid app.   

The new brochure

In the new brochure "Youth panel guide - what moves us online", Youth Panel participants give online safety tips to their peers. These are tips that the young people would have liked to have received themselves, and which they would now like to pass on to other young people. The guide is the result of several workshops, as well as individual and group interviews, in which the young people dealt with eight online risks and developed tips for other young people. The topics include sexual violence, cyberbullying, excessive media use and hate, and hate speech online.

"The smartphone is like a drug because you're so dependent on it, and it's difficult to control how you use it. Especially with social media, it's hard to 'just’ put your phone down. It's also structured like that: endless scrolling, on and on - could be interesting. 
Or when you're streaming or gaming, it can happen that you watch or play for hours and then look at the clock and think: ‘F***! The alarm clock for school rings in four hours’. And then the next day you're completely exhausted." 

Youth panellist, 15 years old, on the topic of "excessive media use and digital well-being" .

Demands from young people for a "Better Internet for Kids"

As part of the workshops and interviews for the guide, specific wishes and demands for a better internet for children and young people were also identified. Among other things, the young people would like to see more media literacy in schools,  better protection for children and young people from problematic content  and  stronger consequences for users who post content that is harmful to children and young people or harass others on social media. The young people also clearly requested that the platforms take more responsibility concerning screen time, age-appropriate content, and age verification.  

All of the young people's demands can be found in the brochure and on the website of the klicksafe Youth Panel. 

How to join the Youth Panel?

Additional information about the klicksafe Youth Panel is available below:

• Youth Panel website with information for adults
• Youth Panel website for young people
• Youth Panel info flyer

Find more information about the work of the German Safer Internet Centre, including its awareness raising, helpline, hotline, and youth participation services, or find similar information for other Safer Internet Centres throughout Europe.