Better Internet for Kids

The Portuguese Safer Internet Centre Coordinator started by introducing the Centre, a long-standing multi-stakeholder consortium currently composed of six organisations with complementary expertise, bringing together: 

• the Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation – through the Directorate-General for Education (DGE);  
• the Portuguese Association for Victim Support;  
• the Portuguese Institute for Sports and Youth;  
• the Foundation for Science and Technology;  
• Microsoft Portugal.

Collectively, these partners provide extensive expertise in cybersecurity, digital citizenship, youth engagement, emerging online risks, digital wellbeing, cybercrime, and specialised victim support (hotline and helpline), with a strong record of engaging diverse communities. 

Most of the best practices and initiatives for teachers that were shared in the webinar are promoted and held by SeguraNet Awareness Centre (DGE). The three key national initiatives that were presented were:  

• the digital leaders;  
• SeguraNet challenges
• teacher training, where the Digital Services Act (DSA) is being promoted and addressed in the school community, covering teachers, students, parents, and caregivers.

The digital leaders

The Digital leaders initiative started 10 editions ago, and it’s well established as a winner model to motivate students to promote topics that encourage the safe and responsible use of the Internet and digital environments. The digital leaders have the mission to engage both with their peers and with other members of their school community, encouraging them to adopt a critical, thoughtful, and responsible attitude in the use of technologies and digital environments. 

This initiative has enrolled 3088 students from around 76 school clusters and non-clustered schools. In parallel, a specialised youth panel took place, composed of around 20 Digital Leaders who stand out for their active involvement in relevant initiatives at both National and European levels. 

At a European level, the portuguese digital leaders have been represented in various significant events, exposing them to rich exchanging and opportunities to fully engage and participate in the discussions and relfections about the DSA, putting them in contact with decision making processes that impact their lives and trully have a place at the table. 

There is also a communication strategy that allows for some online presence of these young leaders, namely on YouTube on a peer-to-peer engagement, for instance, to explain the content of the DSA. 

SeguraNet challenges

Another initiative that is very effective in the field, is the SeguraNet challenges. Throughout the school year, teams of teachers and their students (pre-school, first, second and third cycle) and with parents or guardians are challenged on topics covering various areas of digital citizenship, with the aim of raising awareness of the importance of safe, responsible, and balanced use of digital technologies. Their mission is to respond to the challenges launched. 

For the past 18 editions, the work focuses largely on the critical use of the internet, by promoting discussion of these issues within school communities, thus contributing to the safe and responsible use of digital environments. The participation rates show this is a sustainable and rich programme, with 455 school clusters/non-clustered schools engaged, 944 teachers, 61.882 students, and 180 parents/guardians responding to the challenges. 

As a highlight of this edition, it is important to mention the webinar on the “impacts of excessive screen use”, where the DSA was also promoted and that involved around 800 participants and that brought together students and teachers from the autonomous region of Madeira and from Santiago Island (Cape Verde), fostering a rich exchange of experiences and learning. 

Teacher training

Last but not least, the very important topic of training, in this case, teacher training. The SeguraNet awareness centre promotes accredited workshops and training courses for teachers in the area of digital citizenship, aimed primarily at trainers from the 91 School Association Training Centres (CFAE). These courses and workshops are developed in collaboration with national experts and are based on training guidance documents. All of the courses and workshops promote the Digital Services Act (DSA) among teachers. 

In addition to these initiatives, it is also very important to disseminate resources and make them available to specific audiences, for instance, children and youth while at the same time provide age-appropriate information. In May 2024, the Portuguese Safer Internet Centre disseminated the child-friendly resource The DSA explained: measures to protect children and young people online (based on the original booklet on the Publications Office of the European Union). 

In the same year, the annual back to school campaign focused on the DSA, with relevant information shared in Portuguese on the Portuguese Safer Internet Centre social media platforms (Instagram and Facebook), reaching both young audiences and parents and teachers.  

The Portuguese Safer Internet Centre is committed to dissiminating and creating space to discuss and reflect on the DSA, and to reaching larger publics, so in 2025 it joined BIK on the DSAforYOUth campaign, and has been adapting and translating the materials to publish on social media platforms. 

Another good practice is the “Recommendations for the promotion of digital well-being in schools”, launched in January 2025, which is a guiding document designed to support schools in creating balanced, safe, and healthy digital environments for the entire educational community, and which includes the DSA. These recommendations align with the initiatives promoted by the SeguraNet awareness centre to foster digital citizenship in schools, complementing programs such as the ones mentioned above, as well as the “School without bullying | School without violence,” and the “Digital academy for parents.” 

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