Better Internet for Kids

How can we improve the "gaming atmosphere" in video games and encourage gamers to adopt better behaviours online? The French Safer Internet Centre introduces best practices and digital awareness campaigns for a more positive gaming culture.

In the framework of our partnership with the Parisian suburban City of Montreuil, we initiated the production of a new interactive resource as part of the "Stop la violence" investigation series.This initiative aimed to address the issue of non-consensual intimate image abuses. To adhere to our working methodology, we collaborated with a group of young individuals who expressed interest in the project. We not only sought to leverage their experiences and knowledge to shape the main focus of the resource but also actively involved them in the creation process.

Parents of teenagers face multiple challenges and have questions concerning social media usage. We know that young people are connected and create social profiles at a very young age, and their parents must adapt their rules to the increase in online connectivity. But are parents aware of the online applications their children use? And do they know they can have access to parental control options to keep their children safer on these social networks? Spurred on by new legislation and ongoing regulation, the platforms are now proactively providing safety features for the minors' best interests.

A large panel of young people representing various regions of Denmark has explored how algorithms control online content. The young people's attitude towards algorithms indicates a challenging pedagogical task to address.

The 'Parents parlons numérique' label, a French ministerial initiative, aids parents in understanding their children's digital education. To address the overwhelming online safety resources, a committee led by the French National Health Insurance Fund and the National Union of Family Associations has been established to evaluate and label initiatives, simplifying the decision-making process for parents.

Faced with the scale of the task of raising awareness in a territory as vast as France, we realised we could maximise our actions by engaging our ecosystem. Indeed, as our daily mission is to create and provide free, accessible awareness-raising material available to all, we decided to create a special Ambassador Programme that our partners from the non-formal education world could easily join.

For two years, we've decided to use Instagram as a direct communication channel with parents. We've created several digital parenting resources to provide support for behaviour change in families. We've gone beyond the awareness-raising activities carried out by schools, and our aim now is to make ourselves known and distribute our content to as many people as possible.

The 2019 National Media Education Policy of Finland identifies social polarisation and racism as problems that need to be addressed in media education.

Portugal is the home of the Web Summit, which offers a cornucopia of talks on every tech-related topic imaginable. Startups, investors, industry experts and tech enthusiasts gathered to network, share ideas, and look ahead to a week of exciting talks. According to Katherine Maher, the new CEO of Web Summit, “We’ve brought together tens of thousands of people who have used this week in Lisbon as a springboard to do remarkable things”. The event allows innovators “to launch companies, find investors, unveil projects, and advance a vision of the world worth debating”.

Over the last two years, our Contact Point partners, as well as various actors involved in the protection of minors online and NGOs, have noticed a sharp increase in reports of intimate content involving minors. We must pay attention to the psychological consequences the dissemination of such content can have on victims.