Better Internet for Kids

Monday, 6 December 2021 marks the start of the Internet Governance Forum (IGF), taking place in a hybrid format in Katowice, Poland and online. This year, an Insafe delegation will host two workshops: one looking at gender-based issues relating to online violence or abuse, and one discussing the overarching challenge of the digital divide.

Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Catherine Martin TD, launched a comprehensive report of a national survey of children and young people, and their parents and carers regarding online safety. The report was commissioned following a recommendation put forward by the National Advisory Council for Online Safety (NACOS) that acknowledged the need for up-to-date research and evidence about the state of online safety in Ireland.

The Danish Media Council for children and young people is currently cooperating with several media professionals, parents and carers, and children to produce a series of materials and activities as part of a nationwide project on media literacy for 0-6-year-olds and those who care for them.

Black Friday, Cyber Monday and the hunt for Christmas gifts are now upon us, and online shops are once again tempting buyers with discounts and special offers. BEE SECURE gives you some tips to prevent your enticing online shopping experience from ending in frustration.

This autumn, members of the Czech Youth Panel were given the task of devising a script for a short video on the topic of internet security. Subsequently, they stepped in front of the camera and, under the direction of Patrik Fiala and Martin Klesnil, who are shooting the successful podcast "At the round table" in the Czech Republic, experienced first-hand what it's like to be an actor.

Today, the Insafe network of European Safer Internet Centres (SICs) begins a two-day training meeting online. This event is an opportunity to facilitate the sharing of experience and good practice between network countries and to explore areas of common ground and opportunities for closer working between awareness raising, helpline, and youth participation strands.

The main objective of media and information literacy is to enable people to enjoy fundamental freedoms – such as the freedom of opinion and expression – as well as to seek, transfer and receive information in the most effective, inclusive, ethical and meaningful way. Salomėja Bitlieriūtė, from the National Agency for Education in Lithuania, shares recommendations for teachers and educators on how to integrate media and information literacy in their school activities.

What does our digital consumption look like? What are the benefits and challenges? Do we always feel comfortable with the amount of time we spend online? These questions are at the heart of BEE SECURE's 2021/22 awareness campaign, SuperUser.

As part of the Erasmus+ international project CyberSafe MOOC “Building teachers’ competence about cyber violence against girls”, the Faculty of Social Sciences of the University of Ljubljana conducted a survey among headteachers in four European regions: Slovenia, Estonia, Northern Ireland and Crete (Greece). The online questionnaire researched the incidence of cyberviolence among 13-to-15-year-old pupils as recognised by headteachers.

The 21st century is an age in which digital technologies are evolving at an enormous pace and changing people’s lives, work, and social interactions. Digital technologies offer several opportunities for improvement, including faster access to information, a more diverse and wider communication and collaboration network, and easier access to knowledge – but also new challenges and risks.