Introducing the Back2School campaign
It’s September once again, which means it’s time for pupils to go back to school. Better Internet for Kids (BIK) wants to kick off the new school year with a campaign aimed at anyone working with children and young people to educate them to a safer, better internet experience, including teachers and educators, to support their activities and raise awareness of online safety topics in the classroom.
Screen time: Balancing online activities for children over the summer
With summer in full swing, children often have more free time. As they explore the season’s wonders, we can encourage them to balance their online and offline activities, making the most of their time. While digital devices can be fascinating, we can encourage them to engage in creative activities that foster learning and interactions with others. Striving for balance will empower our children to enjoy the best of both worlds, promoting their physical and mental well-being, while making fond memories over the summer break.
Sexualised self-expression online - hot tub streams and OnlyFans
There is a category on the popular streaming platform Twitch that is dedicated to hot tubs, usually featuring women in bathing suits or bikinis, receiving money in exchange for displaying their bodies during the stream. Following a similar dynamic, influencers and content creators can earn money by producing erotic and pornographic content on OnlyFans, a platform where subscribers can access exclusive, often inappropriate content after purchasing a subscription. Do these options pose a danger for children and young people?
ADWeeks2024 campaign promoted internet safety in Lithuania
The ALL DIGITAL Weeks campaign is one of the major pan-European awareness raising campaigns on digital skills for inclusion, empowerment and employment. It is organised by ALL DIGITAL Network, and it has been running since 2010. Since then, the campaign has helped almost 1,5 million people to get online for the first time, or to improve their digital skills.
The Latvian Safer Internet Centre received the Cross of Recognition from the state
On 4 May 2023 - the day of the restoration of the independence of the Republic of Latvia, the coordinator of the Latvian Safer Internet Centre (SIC) Maija Katkovska received the highest award of the Latvian state - the Cross of Recognition – for raising awareness about internet safety and media literacy for children in Latvia, and ensuring the work of the hotline fighting Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) online. The award was presented by the President of Latvia.
Summer tech tips: establishing healthy digital habits for families
Hello, summer! For parents, it means more time to relax, and for children, more time to play. The digital world offers many opportunities to spend time and fight the occasional boredom. Embracing a balanced approach to digital devices can significantly improve family ties and children's physical, mental and emotional development. Encouraging responsible and mindful digital habits can foster solid relationships and well-being in the family. Here are eight tips to help ensure families' healthy use of digital devices.
All Digital Weeks 2023 in Lithuania – 14th edition
From 17 April to 7 May 2023, various organisations from all over Europe took part in the annual campaign All Digital Weeks 2023 (ADWeeks2023), organised by ALL DIGITAL. The aim of the campaign is to encourage EU citizens to continuously improve their digital skills, to discover technologies and their benefits, and to take advantage of digital opportunities in their daily and professional lives. More than 800 events were organised across Europe, involving around 100,000 European citizens.
Casting the net: what do teens need to know about ChatGPT?
The Irish Safer Internet Centre has added a new audio series to the Casting the net initiative. Read on to discover more about the podcasts.
Youth-led Safer Internet Forum and the BIK Youth Panel
This year’s Safer Internet Forum (SIF) will, once again, benefit from the insights and contributions of young people. To ensure a successful and engaging event, a Safer Internet Forum Youth Advisory Group (SIF YAG) and the BIK Youth Panel have been convened to help guide the preparation and delivery of the event. Within these two groups, young people from across Europe will work collaboratively in the coming months to deliver an event that reflects the current aspirations and concerns of youth when it comes to their online lives.
Responding to online risks to children and young people in vulnerable groups
The new European strategy for a Better Internet for Kids (BIK+ strategy), adopted in May 2022, emphasises the need to pay careful attention to children with special or specific needs, or from disadvantaged and vulnerable backgrounds. In the new strategy, the European Commission sets out clear priorities for young people with a range of vulnerabilities, with the overarching aim to ensure that no one is left behind, and that all children and young people have a voice when it comes to matters in the digital sphere.
