Better Internet for Kids

Children and young people are at the heart of what we do. Indeed, they are the main benefactors of the Safer Internet Day campaign – and the Better Internet for Kids (BIK) agenda more generally – as we unite across the globe to provide a safer and better internet for them, and seek to equip and empower them with the skills, knowledge and support to benefit from all of the wonderful opportunities that the online world has to offer. Youth involvement was very prevalent in the 2022 celebrations.

Fake news travels very fast. According to findings from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology research, false news spreads six times faster on Twitter than truthful stories. An overabundance of information makes it hard for users to find trustworthy and reliable sources and, most importantly, identify false and misleading content online. The Facts4All – School tackling disinformation project recently launched an online campaign with the aim of raising awareness of online disinformation, while also providing guidance on how best to consume online content.

On Tuesday, 8 February 2022, the Spanish Safer Internet Centre celebrated Safer Internet Day, joining more than 130 countries worldwide under the motto ‘Together for a better internet’. This year’s INCIBE event and activities have reached a higher participation from schools than in previous years, uniting children and teenagers on either side of the screen, both at the in-person event and through the online channels of the event.

Safer Internet Day (SID) 2022 took place worldwide on 8 February, and several initiatives have been organised in Hungary by the International Children’s Safety Service (ICSS) as the Hungarian consortium-leader of the safer internet programme at the University of Public Service (UPS).

The sociological study on the use of the internet by children and adolescents was presented during the debate "How has the behaviour of children and adolescents on the internet changed after two years of the COVID-19 pandemic?" As part of the celebrations for Safer Internet Day 2022.

On 8 February, Safer Internet Day 2022 was celebrated around the world. Each year, the Safer Internet Day (SID) initiative launched by the European Union is organised to raise awareness for a safer use of internet. In Luxembourg, numerous events took place to mark the occasion.

Each year, the Estonian Safer Internet Centre (SIC) focuses on one topical issue to celebrate Safer Internet Day. This year, the chosen focus was to raise children´s digital competence and disseminate information about how to protect yourself and others online. The Estonian Safer Internet Centre published new educational resources and organised several events.

Although once again fewer offline events were possible due to the pandemic, more than 250 decentralised events took place across Germany in 2022. For its own Safer Internet Day (SID) activities, the German awareness centre klicksafe decided to focus on a digital strategy and move all activities online.

For the past twelve years, the Centre for Missing and Exploited Children (the Croatian Safer Internet Centre) has been continuously celebrating Safer Internet Day in Croatia to raise awareness of safer and better use of the internet by children and young people.

On 8 February 2022, Lithuania celebrated Safer Internet Day by running various campaigns to draw attention to online safety. The Communications Regulatory Authority of the Republic of Lithuania (RRT), together with partners, organised the discussion “Children and the internet: when is the right time, and how?” on a popular media portal.