Better Internet for Kids

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.

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.

At the IGF 2023 event, which took place in Kyoto from 8-12 October 2023, the Insafe delegation hosted a promotional booth in the IGF village, promoting the annual Safer Internet Day (SID) campaign and Better Internet for Kids (BIK) activities. The booth was a focal point for engaging discussions with conference participants worldwide.

The 18th Internet Governance Forum (IGF) continues in Kyoto, Japan, with the Insafe Coordinator participating in a child well-being session hosted by UNICEF and the LEGO Group.

At the 18th annual meeting of the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) held in Kyoto, Japan from 8-12 October 2023, the European network of Safer Internet Centres (SIC) contributed with a workshop on Day 0, titled Youth participation: co-creating the Insafe network. In the second part of the workshop, organised by the Insafe Coordinator in collaboration with the Belgian, Maltese, Polish, Portuguese and UK Safer Internet Centres, a special focus was given to empowering of young people and the inclusion of children and young people in vulnerable situations.

Today, 10 October 2023, we commemorate World Mental Health Day, a global initiative dedicated to raising awareness of mental health issues and supporting collective actions to improve mental well-being worldwide. This day serves as a platform for individuals and organisations working on mental health to contribute and discuss the essential steps to ensure accessible mental health care for everyone across the globe. In addition to these efforts, we also want to shed light on INHOPE's vital support for parents who have survived child abuse, recognising their unique struggles and providing them with essential resources.

This collection of activities aims to encourage primary school children (cycles 2 to 4 in Luxembourg) to use the internet more safely and positively, and is intended for teaching and educational staff. It offers practical exercises (games, crafts) to be carried out quickly and directly. These activities are linked to the skills requirements set out in the “Reference guide for education to and by the media” (Guide de référence pour l’éducation aux et par les médias - Medienkompass).

The Italian Safer Internet Centre (SIC) recently organised an event at the Ministry of Education to kick off the new school year, packed with webinars and other activities for young people.

It’s September, which means it’s once again time to go back to school for pupils, as well as teachers and educators. To kick off the school year that has just started, Better Internet for Kids (BIK) has decided to focus on empowering youth with the skills they need to safely navigate the digital world, and be able to recognise both the opportunities and the challenges it poses.

Youth participation was the key to success when the Swedish Safer Internet Centre (SIC) recently arranged a seminar at Almedalen Week on the isle of Gotland. High school student Huda Omar, who was also the moderator of the seminar, said it is important to give children and youth real and concrete opportunities to be involved.