New awareness campaign on the use of screens in the family
In cooperation with BEE SECURE, the Luxembourgish Ministry of Education has launched an awareness campaign on "The use of screens in the family" which will run until April 2020. The aim of the campaign is to make parents aware of their role in this regard and to provide them with advice on how to use digital media responsibly in the family.
INHOPE #reportit – Your reports lead to investigations and arrests
A single anonymous report can have an incredibly huge impact. INHOPE's member hotlines have countless success stories, in which a public report has led to successful investigations into cases of child sexual abuse and in some cases, to the arrests of the offenders. Below are just a few examples.
The sexualisation of culture, and of children and young people
Back in November 2021, the Insafe network of European Safer Internet Centres (SICs) took part in a two-day online training meeting*. A key topic of discussion was the sexualisation of culture and of children and young people; a complex and increasingly concerning set of online risks that many SICs find themselves having to address on a regular basis. Similar topics had also been raised in a Deep Dive session at the 2021 edition of Safer Internet Forum just a month previous, where a panel discussion had focused on harmful online content, experiences and solutions.
How to report CSAM: Journalism guidelines
The culture and environment, the medium of communication and how we perceive certain words and tones are all factors that contribute to how we consume content. These factors and more impact how a reader will react to a news report. It is therefore important that journalists and publications alike apply guidelines when reporting on sensitive topics, such as child sexual abuse and exploitation, to ensure that the story being told is not also influenced by subjective factors.
Are you the real you, online? Digital identity and freedom
The month of February was marked by Safer Internet Day. With several campaigns and activities, the Portuguese Safer Internet Centre advocated for a safer, more aware and healthier use of the internet, with a special focus on digital identity.
Working together for a better internet on Safer Internet Day 2022
Microsoft, the GNR - National Republican Guard, and the consortium of the Portuguese Safer Internet Centre celebrated safer internet month throughout February with various awareness-raising activities among the school community. Starting on 8 February 2022, Safer Internet Day (SID), the campaign for the correct use of technology among primary and secondary school students marked the start of this year's cooperation.
The European Year of Youth 2022 spirit: broad, inclusive and impactful
By making 2022 the European Year of Youth, the European Commission honours young people as agents of change and the bearers of ideas to build a better future. A future that will be greener, more digital, more inclusive and more peaceful.
The Greek Safer Internet Centre reflects on how online behaviour has changed as a result of the pandemic
The Greek Safer Internet Centre has recently released the paper "Surveying parental mediation and digital literacy. Were parents ready during COVID-19?", exploring the evolution of the online behaviour of children and young people due to the pandemic, and how parents and carers have had to adapt and keep up-to-date with new trends and technologies.
The Finnish Safer Internet Centre publishes a new guide for a sex positive media education approach for young people
This new guide from the Finnish Safer Internet Centre (KAVI, 2021) provides teachers and educators relevant and research-based information about sex and sexuality in the media that young people aged 13 to 18 are using. It offers tools and support to discuss these topics with young people, gives examples of sexual education in the context of media literacy, and contributes to a neutral and non-shaming discussion about sexuality and sexual cultures in the media. The author of the guide is MA sex educator Petra Kankare.
Latest helpline trends: Quarter 4, 2021
The Insafe network of helplines collects data about the types of calls received and this is analysed every three months to look at trends, and new and emerging issues. The most recent helpline data covers the period from October to December 2021. This reporting period saw over 19,000 contacts made to the helpline network (a considerable rise on the previous reporting period) and continued the overall upward trend in numbers of people reaching out to helplines. There were over 67,000 contacts made to Insafe helplines during 2021 – the busiest year ever, which underlines the importance of the services they offer.
