Do not trust everything you see online 

Any internet user is allowed to post almost anything online. As a result, many falsehoods and incorrect content can be found online, and especially on social networks. One of the most problematic examples, notably for young people, are the heavily altered pictures and videos often posted by influencers, who can reach quite a lot of adolescents and younger children who are active online. 

Influencers tend to present themselves so as to attract as many followers as possible. The sets in photos and videos are often planned down to the smallest detail, shot by professionals and heavily edited afterwards. In this way, some influencers present themselves as someone living an ideal life.  

Young people themselves normally use the various filters offered by social networks and apps to edit and improve the quality of the pictures they take. As a result, they look as ideal as possible, while losing their authenticity. Teenagers find themselves surrounded by fake photos and videos and inevitably compare themselves to these unrealistic beauty standards.  Failing to fit within these imposed, adolescents become obsessed with their appearance, are overall dissatisfied with their own bodies, and might develop feelings of inferiority and frustration. 

Focus on teachers and educators for Safer Internet Day 2022 

Raising awareness and strengthening young people's self-confidence and mental health as they learn to critically evaluate online content is therefore extremely important. Teachers and educators, however, play a crucial role in educating their pupils about online scams and misinformation. To make their job easier, the Slovenian Safer Internet Centre organised an online conference on 1 February 2022 as part of the Safer Internet Day celebrations. The event was supported by the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport. 

The event started with the Minister of Education, Science and Sport Prof. PhD Simona Kustec. She stressed the importance of the role of teachers and educators in educating about online risks. The keynote speakers were from the Slovenian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT), ARNES and the online newspaper for children Časoris.

Participants learned about the most common online scams targeting teachers, how to recognise and protect themselves against them, how to recognise misinformation on the internet and which sources of information to trust. The plenary session ended with a practical presentation of workshops on disinformation and the presentation of materials that teachers and educators can use in the classroom. The event ended with a session answering the questions submitted by the participants.

The event was watched by more than 700 teachers and educators on the first day. You can watch a recording of the event on the Safe.si website (available in Slovenian).  

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

Find out more about the annual global celebration of Safer Internet Day here.