Better Internet for Kids

Thousands of people across Greece enthusiastically celebrated Safer Internet Day 2024, either by engaging in the main event hosted at the Ministry of Education, Religious Affairs and Sports, or by actively participating in various online events tailored for students of all ages. This year's Safer Internet Day focused on the Better Internet for Kids (BIK+) strategy and the Digital Services Act (DSA), both aimed at ensuring children's protection, dignity, and empowerment in the online sphere.

Safer Internet Day (SID) 2024 was a resounding success in Cyprus, bringing together stakeholders from across the region to promote online safety and digital well-being. Hosted by the Cyprus Pedagogical Institute, this annual event aimed to raise awareness about the importance of creating a safer and more responsible online environment for all.

In Hungary, a special Safer Internet Day event was held at the Telekom HQ to raise awareness about phishing, online harassment, and artificial intelligence. More than one hundred children participated in interactive games and presentations.

Seran, a BIK Youth Panellist from Austria, shares her reflections on the Safer Internet Forum. In this brief glimpse, she shares poignant moments and insights from her experience, highlighting the impact of shared vision and collective effort. Discover the challenges, laughter, and connections that shaped her experience.

On Safer Internet Day 2024, the Austrian Safer Internet Centre organised a conference titled "Growing up in the digital world". Politicians and experts discussed current trends and challenges online with educators, parents, and an interested specialist audience. Young people were not only the subject of the event but were also actively involved in its organisation. They supplemented the specialist presentations with exciting insights into their digital world. The concept was interesting - the conference was fully booked within a few days.

To mark Safer Internet Day 2024, the Austrian Safer Internet Centre presented the results of a new youth study on "Beauty ideals on the internet". The study examines the effects of digital media use on young people's body-related self-image. To this end, 400 young people between 12 and 17 years old were questioned about their experiences, supplemented by four in-depth focus groups with 56 participating pupils. The results show that the pressure on young people to conform to unrealistic body images is high. At the same time, the important role of parents and other caregivers in dealing with beauty ideals becomes clear.

In 2023, the Danish Safer Internet Centre organised the Digital Youth Panel with seven group chats where young people discussed, reflected on and responded to different themes related to their online lives. All group chats are text-based and anonymous, which creates high honesty among participants, as their stories are very personal. This setup enables young people to connect, facilitating the group's exchange of advice and support.

At the beginning of February, we issued our Naveg@s 2023 report, and we are pleased with the results obtained. Our programme volunteers deserve congratulations!

The Danish Safer Internet Centre spoke to Vibeke, who participated in the BIK Youth Panel at last year’s Safer Internet Forum in Brussels. She shared her insights on the Forum and the importance of involving youth in promoting online safety.

To mark Safer Internet Day 2024, the Greek Safer Internet Centre drew attention to the dangers of using emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI), especially by underage users. Cases have already become known where minors, using AI applications, have altered photographs of underage girls and started to share them 'for fun'. Today, the majority of the 'deepfake' material circulating on the internet is non-consensual pornography. In other words, videos of pornographic material appear where the face has been replaced. Usually, the victims are celebrities, but anyone can become a victim. The whole issue raises great concerns about privacy on the Internet, and unfortunately, it can turn any individual into a potential victim, regardless of their gender. Parents and teachers must talk to children and adolescents about the consequences of this practice.