Better Internet for Kids

Is everyone able to report child sexual abuse material (CSAM) they might encounter on the internet? The answer is no. This question often disturbs people or unbalances them, because they cannot believe that people record and distribute the sexual abuse of children. By reducing the supply of CSAM, we reduce demand, as well as access to this content. And network expansion is how we can address the many parts of the world that do not yet offer public reporting.

At a time when online interactions and activities have increased rapidly due to the ongoing pandemic, which has seen more and more children and young people spend an increasingly high amount of time in the digital world, new forms of fraud are constantly emerging, making online safety education for users an urgent and primary need.

As 2021 – yet another year full of uncertainty – comes to an end, Better Internet for Kids recaps on the past year and reflects on the main highlights and activities of 2021, while introducing several exciting events and activities to look forward to in 2022.

The resource catalogue of the CZ.NIC association has recently been expanded with the publication of a new digital series of short stories, ON-LINE ZOO - Poems. This collection of playful poems was created as an extension of the book ON-LINE ZOO, originally created by the Austrian Safer Internet Centre and translated into Czech, which introduces children of pre-school and earlier school grades to the most common risks associated with the use of the internet. The original texts were turned into poems by Libor Manda, project manager of the Czech Safer Internet Centre.

The 32nd edition of the Press and Media Week at School (#PMWS), organised by the Centre for Media and Information Education (CLEMI), took place from 22 to 27 March 2021 with Internet Sans Crainte. The theme chosen for this edition was “Get informed to understand the world”.

The eleventh annual Youth Work Week in Estonia took place from 22-30 November 2021. This year, the campaign focused on the relationship between young people's mental health and digitalisation.

The Insafe network of helplines collects data about the types of calls received and this is analysed every three months to look at trends, and new and emerging issues. The most recent helpline data covers the period from July to September 2021. This reporting period saw over 15,000 contacts made to the helpline network and continued the overall upward trend in numbers of people reaching out to helplines.

Samsung Electronics France, in collaboration with Tralalere and its Internet Sans Crainte programme (part of the French Safer Internet Centre), has recently launched the new edutainment platform e-Junior.fr – a platform designed for children to make learning about online safety issues easier and more enjoyable.

Providing advice and guidance to parents and carers is an important task for many Safer Internet Centres. But what impact do campaigns targeting parents and carers actually have? The Norwegian Safer Internet Centre has recently carried out an evaluation of one of its resources, #letstalkaboutnudes, which provides advice and guidance on sexting.

At a time when measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 are still in place, and social interaction is severely limited, online events have replaced live events. The Slovenian awareness centre, Safe.si, organised three online events for students, teachers and kindergarten teachers in autumn 2021. Online events prove to be easier to organise, allowing for more people to participate. Additionally, a recording is usually available for those who cannot attend live.