Better Internet for Kids

For the 22nd time, Safer Internet Day (SID) was celebrated worldwide on 11 February. The global day aims to raise awareness about safer and more responsible internet use among children and young people. The motto of the event is "Together for a better internet!". In connection with the event, the Hungarian Safer Internet Centre, run by the International Children's Safety Service (ICSS), organised a special internet safety programme in Budapest, at the Hungarian Telekom Headquarters.

Almost a hundred children attended a hacking and internet safety session, while parents and teachers heard awareness-raising lectures from well-known experts. The festive announcement of the results of the SID AI song writing competition was one of the highlights of the day.

In his opening speech, Peter Edvi, founding president of the International Children's Safety Service, highlighted that the organisation has been working on the impact of media and the internet on young people for almost 30 years. 

"At ICSS, we work to make the internet a safer place, not just on Safer Internet Day, but every day. Whether it's kids, parents or professionals, we all have a responsibility to build a positive digital environment."

The guests were welcomed by Gábor Gonda, Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Corporate Services, on behalf of the host Hungarian Telekom, who expressed his pleasure to host this important event. He thanked the parents and teachers for the work they do every day to ensure the safety of children.

A presentation was given by Tamás Nagy, Head of the Cyber Detection Department of the Cyber Detection Division of the National Defence Service. He explained the threats to minors in the context of AI and stressed the importance of cooperation with the ICSS.

Orsolya Táler, Executive Director of the Kék Vonal Gyermekkrízis Alapítvány (KVA), consortium partner of ICSS, presented the experiences of the Helpline. According to her, young people are coming to them with increasingly serious and complex problems, and more and more cases are being reported to the child protection services.

Marcsi Mészégető, editor-in-chief of Hello Parent, Telekom's platform for families, said that since its launch, they have given young people an important role. "According to Eurostat's 2023 research, young people have a higher proportion of basic or above basic digital skills than older people, and we have a lot to learn from them. So we need to listen and listen to them."

Dr. Zsófia Vápár, hotline expert at the Safer Internet Centre of the ICSS, explained why AI poses a real threat to children. With practical advice, she encouraged parents to reduce their children's digital footprint to reduce the risks, to avoid posting about their children and to avoid sharing personal data, as these materials are suitable for AI to generate sexual abuse content.

Krisztián Frey, an ethical hacker, was the mastermind behind the children's programmes. He answered questions such as the risks of connecting to open Wi-Fi networks and showed young people the dangers of charging through a public USB port. The biggest hit with the children was a device called "Flipper Zero", which can be used to test wireless networks. For example, the gadget can be used to scan pass cards, but they also tested how to set up a Wi-Fi network and used the device's infrared to turn on and off the Telekom TV screen.

In December, the ICSS launched an AI song writing competition for children aged 6 to 14 in conjunction with SID. Children had to express in songs they wrote with the help of AI what they think life will be like in the future with technology. They had to create an album cover for the song, also generated by AI. The best entries were invited to the SID Day. Children came from Gyula, Kaposvár, Szeged, Sátoraljaújhely and even from Slovakia, across the border. The young people took part in an internet safety game under the guidance of technology-savvy mentors.

This year's mentors were Enikő Soós (WITSEC), Nikoletta Pusztai (National Protective Service), Tatjána Turányi (Quadron), Veronika Hittner-Horváth (SIC trainer, ICSS) and Fanni Katona (ICSS). The children really enjoyed the creative exercises, the photo wall, and of course, the delicious breakfast and lunch.

The most awaited moments of the programme were the ceremonial announcement of the results and the presentation of the gifts. More than 100 entries were received. The top five winners in each age group received a valuable gift. The grand prize was a kids smartwatch for the 6 to 11 age group and a smartwatch for the 12 to 14 age group.

But no one went home empty-handed: each participant received a gift bag containing small gifts.

We hope that next year we can celebrate the 23rd Safer Internet Day together!

Learn more about Safer Internet Day activities in Hungary on their SID page on our platform!

Further information about the Hungarian Safer Internet Centre can be found on the Better Internet for Kids (BIK) public portal, including links to its national websites and other contact information. Similar information can be found on the BIK portal for all Safer Internet Centres in Europe.

Photos by Eszter Gordon