Better Internet for Kids

“HTML Heroes: Welcome to the Internet” was officially launched in September 2021 by the Irish Minister for Education, Norma Foley TD. She commented: “To best equip children and young people to make the most of the internet, we need to begin from an early age. Like road safety, children need to know the basics of accessing the internet, how to use it effectively and safely, and know what to do if something goes wrong and where to get help and assistance. It is my hope that this new programme from Webwise will help teachers and school staff build these foundations with pupils in an age-appropriate manner. Through colourful illustrations, stories and an online safety code that reinforces key safety messages, the new HTML Heroes Programme for first and second class is an excellent starting point for children”.

>The annual training of Safer Internet Ambassadors (SIAs) in Latvia was dedicated to the latest trends and online risks and to learning about new media literacy approaches. It was organised for the fifth time since the Latvian Safer Internet Centre launched its Internet Ambassadors Programme in 2017.

A recently-concluded awareness campaign, conducted by BEE SECURE in the framework of the Luxembourgish Safer Internet Centre, dealt with the topic of self-presentation on the internet. The question “bass de sécher?!” (“are you sure?!” in English) aimed to highlight the importance – before publishing a photo of oneself or any another person – to assess all the possible consequences that publishing that content might have.

There are many discussions about the importance of media education for children and young people. In general - and understandably - the role of schools in teaching media competences is highlighted first and foremost. From this perspective, it is a bit surprising how little comprehensive information is available on how media education is implemented in practice. Saara Salomaa, Senior Adviser at the National Audiovisual Institute (KAVI), provides an overview of its implementation in the Finnish education system.

The European Commission aspires to put children’s participation at the heart of EU policies and initiatives while ensuring that children in vulnerable situations also have their voices heard.

The pandemic has brought new challenges to the education system. Schools have had to quickly adapt to working online, teachers and parents have had to cope with many technology-related challenges, and children are spending more time online. On the other hand, distance learning has provided an opportunity for non-formal education providers to reach schools more easily, including those in more remote locations.

According to the most common definition, a Capture-The-Flag (CTF) is a “competitive computer security event where participants compete in security-themed challenges for the purpose of obtaining the highest score”. The name originates from the outdoor game in which participants seek to find and retrieve a physical flag. This type of competition is becoming increasingly popular, with the number growing consistently every year.

BEE SECURE, in the framework of the Luxembourgish Safer Internet Centre, has published new educational material on cyberbullying for young people aged 12 and over with intellectual disabilities.

Save the Children Finland’s new report on online grooming for sexual purposes is now available in English. The report, “Grooming in the eyes of a child – a report on the experiences of 11−17-year-old children on online grooming”, is based on answers from 1,762 children, gathered in February and March 2021.

Several studies have demonstrated that there are great differences among children and young people in terms of their digital skills. The objective of the ongoing New Literacies development programme in Finland is to strengthen the media literacy, information and communication technology (ICT) and programming competence of children and young people in early childhood education and care (ECEC), pre-primary and basic education. Saara Salomaa, Senior Adviser at the National Audiovisual Institute (KAVI), provides an overview of its aims.