Better Internet for Kids

Organised by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports and Youth, in collaboration with CYTA and Epic and with the support of the partners of the Cypriot Safer Internet Centre (SIC) - CYberSafety and the National Strategy for a Better Internet for Children in Cyprus, the conference was hosted at the Filoxenia Conference Centre in Nicosia, with a huge success.

Aiming at fostering responsibility and respect, as well as promoting a critical and creative use of the internet in our lives, the conference was focused on reminding everyone – including the state, educators, decision-makers working on digital issues, parents, young people and children – that it is our duty to make the internet a better and safer place for communication, entertainment and learning. This year's conference had a large number of attendees; approximately 1,000 students and teachers attended it from schools all over Cyprus, as well as parents.

The conference was presented by the popular Cypriot TV presenter Christiana Aristotelous, along with the humanoid robot "Pepper," which is part of the Digital Supported Learning Environment of the Cyprus Pedagogical Institute. Dr Athena Michailidou-Evripidou opened the conference on behalf of the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports and Youth. A presentation followed, introducing interesting topics regarding internet security, potential risks, and prospects for its creative exploitation.

In his presentation "Internet of Things: Challenges and Risks," Dr. Christos Xenakis, professor of the Department of Digital Systems at the University of Piraeus, referred to the applications and endless possibilities and prospects offered by the Internet. He also stressed the importance of informing people regarding the proper use of digital technologies and the relevant measures that need to be taken for protection and security.

A well-known Cypriot actor, Andreas Filachtou, initiated a discussion about cyberbullying through the short film: "Your Choice". Mr Filachtou tried to raise awareness around this global phenomenon and highlighted how important it is for everyone to take responsibility to ensure positive changes in the online ecosystem.

Following this, an English School student, Odysseas Herodotus, encouraged participants to exploit the internet creatively by presenting the application "CanTeens," which he and his team developed. The participants also had the chance to watch the play "George's Room " by the theatrical group Intra Portas. The play aimed to show that the internet cannot be exploited to take revenge, sending a clear message: demonstrating kindness and respect to other internet users is paramount to demonstrate kindness and respect.

The CyberSafety Youth Panel of Cyprus made a presentation through which they invited students all over Cyprus to join forces and encourage positive change by fostering the creative and safe use of the internet. The presentation included screening a video titled "Together for a better internet," which they had created to send clear messages about the responsible and positive use of the internet.

Lastly, there was an exhibition of students' posters and artwork, where the participants had the chance to be informed about the safe and creative use of the internet. The exhibition also included short video clips from the videos created for the competition "Together for a better internet."

For further information, please refer to the website internetsafety.pi.ac.cy/SID 2020, visit the Cyprus Safer Internet Centre's page, and its Safer Internet Day profile page.