Better Internet for Kids

The online event 

Spanish singer and Youtuber Xuso Jones conducted the public event on SID, which also featured Carme Artigas, Secretary of State for Digitalisation and Artificial Intelligence for the opening.  

Once again, the participation of young people stood out, as they led a conversation moderated by Toni García, educator and advisor, who reminded everyone that "it is essential to listen to all you teenagers". Raquel and Ana, from the cyber-journalists’ initiative ‘La pinza’ (children's platform) and the Spanish Youth Panel, with Noa and Daniel from the Microsoft Council for Digital Good Europe initiative, shared their first-hand experiences and concerns about their use of social media. They even launched a pledge and petition addressing politicians, government bodies and companies producing apps to transform social media platforms into a safer and more positive environment.  

Following the youth-led conversation, Juan García from BlogOff talked about self-regulation and social media and included a dynamic part using Kahoot!. There was also a dedicated theatre space with the play Todo por un like (Everything for a like), which encouraged to think about and digital identity and risk management while having fun with the showcase of hilarious situations.  

The event also included the Cibercooperantes Awards (Cybervolunteers Program), awarded to Daniel Herrero as the most active volunteer in 2022, and to streamer and influencer Cristinini, for the values of tolerance, respect and solidarity in online environments that she inspires in her young audience. 

Safer Internet Day in schools 

The SID 2022 agenda for schools included two online workshops for schools via Zoom, with the highest numbers of attendees ever reached. Each workshop was designed for a specific age range, and taught by high-profile teachers with a very active role in educating in new technologies: Manu Velasco taught the workshop for 5-8-year-old students ‘Circles of trust on the internet’, and Rosa Liarte taught ‘Detecting internet scams’ for students aged nine and over. These workshops were run under the collaboration between INCIBE (in charge of the Spanish Safer Internet Centre Internet Segura for Kids) and INTEF (as part of the Spanish Ministry of Education) with the European initiative School of Social Networks, with the aim to educate teachers and educators on how to work on digital competences and apply them in their classroom work. On 9 February, additional workshops were held for the general public, about risk identification and fraud on social media platforms. 

Evening session dedicated to education professionals and families 

The evening session of was aimed at the different groups that are at the heart of digital education for minors: education professionals, families, and even senior citizens. It began by illustrating the main findings and conclusions of the recent studies conducted by the Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Twitter España and Plan International, EU Kids Online-Spain, iCmedia, UNICEF España and Complutense University of Madrid on the safe and responsible internet use by minors. It then moved on to the development and application of digital competences in the educational environment and of parental control in the home environment and ended with a series of practical cybersecurity tips for older people. 

The speakers discussed and shared relevant remarks and recommendations from the session: 

• “You control your phone; your phone doesn’t control you. Decide when it is really necessary to check your phone. You could even come up with a schedule for using it to avoid stress and improve your well-being”, Juan GarcÍa, BlogOff.
• “The educational environment is no stranger to the digitalisation process.” Pilar García, head of Digital Educational Resources at the National Institute of Educational Technology and Professional Training (INTEF).
• “It is not enough to have an antivirus, you must maintain and update it, review alerts and analyse all files that are downloaded or sent to you as well as USB drives before opening them”, Carlos Puente, cybersecurity for minors technician at INCIBE.
• “If we are familiar with the school's technology proposal and co-existence plan for ICT-related aspects, we will be able to inform pupils of the measures they should be aware of, such as the school's stance on cyberbullying, its policy on the use of mobile devices, social networks and privacy protection”, Cristina Gutiérrez, cybersecurity for minors technician at INCIBE.
• “We should become influencers for our children and guide them in the use of devices because they are not going to have the same self-control as we do as adults”, Laura Cuesta, digital education expert.
• “By applying a few simple safety recommendations, older people can gain digital independence and feel closer to their children and grandchildren”, Ruth García, cybersecurity for citizens technician at INCIBE. 

SID 2022 videos are available on the INCIBE's YouTube channel in Spanish. 

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