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.
The European SafeOnline Prototype: helping parents with their children's media education in different countries
The European partners of the European SafeOnline (ESOI) project launched the SafeOnline Prototype: a ready-to-use toolbox for European organisations that want to support parents to improve their children's online safety.
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?
Child safety in Tapei: Insights from the ECPAT International Conference
On 31 October 2023, ECPAT Taiwan hosted the ECPAT International Conference on child safety. Our BIK Youth Ambassador, Kathrin Morasch, a longtime advocate for online safety for children and youth, provides us with her insights regarding the conference and reflects on her involvement as a keynote speaker, sharing the perspective of the BIK+ strategy, youth participation and the European Union's rules protecting minors.
Iceland launched new website for Safer Internet Day 2023
For the 2023 edition of Safer Internet Day, the Safer Internet Centre in Iceland (SAFT) focused on collaboration. SAFT is a part of a new network about media literacy in Iceland with more than 40 other partners, including the Icelandic media commission and the national broadcasting company.
One year of BIK+
Exactly one year ago, on 11 May 2022, the European Commission adopted a new European strategy for a Better Internet for Kids (BIK+), to improve age-appropriate digital services and to ensure that every child is protected, empowered and respected online. Let’s take a look at further policy developments that have happened over the course of the past year.
October is European Cybersecurity Month
October marked European Cybersecurity Month (ECSM), an annual awareness-raising campaign across the European Union that includes hundreds of activities and events such as workshops and conferences. The campaign, organised by the European Network and Information Security Agency (ENISA) and the European Commission, in which the National Cybersecurity Centre (CNCS) and Portuguese Safer Internet Centre (PTSIC) were involved, has the motto for 2023: #BeSmarterThanAHacker.
The Insafe network meets to discuss the Digital Services Act (DSA) and AI at the Insafe Training meeting
Today, another edition of the bi-annual Insafe Training meeting kicks off. The event is an opportunity for the Insafe network of European Safer Internet Centres (SICs) to meet to facilitate the sharing of experience and good practices between network countries, to explore areas of common ground, and opportunities for closer working between awareness raising, helpline, and youth participation strands. The October 2023 Insafe Training meeting is held online, and includes three mornings of sessions on exploring the opportunities and challenges posed by Artificial Intelligence (AI).
Highlights from the BIK Teacher corner webinar: exploring generative AI and persuasive design
On Thursday, 19 October 2023, a captivating webinar took place under the banner of the BIK Teacher corner. The event drew the attention of educators and teachers, with 23 participants coming together virtually to delve into the realm of generative AI and persuasive design. The engaging speaker, Gareth Cort, Online safety specialist, led the session, offering valuable insights into these two emerging fields.
Alert Online campaigning activities in the Netherlands
October is the European Cybersecurity Month. During that month, the Alert Online initiative, organised by ECP Platform for Information Society, aims to raise awareness of online security and encourage more cybersecure behaviour.
