Insafe Weekly Update

All data collection forms (spreadsheet files) for the Assessment Platform data collection exercises are made available to download on the BIK community. The upcoming submission periods include: 

• Helplines and hotlines: 8 December 2025 – 16 January 2026 
• Awareness centres: 10 December 2025 – 30 January 2026 

We kindly invite the person submitting the awareness data this year to an information session on Wednesday, 10 December 2025 at 15:00 CET which will cover the basics of the submission process on the Assessment Platform (AP), important points to pay attention to when collecting and submitting your data, and answer any questions you may have about the whole process. Join the meeting using this link. 

The session will also be recorded and shared in the next Insafe Weekly Update for those who are unable to attend.

The next helpline early warning meeting will take place on Wednesday, 10 December 2025, at 11:00 CET; join the meeting using this link.

You can find the meeting report and recording from the last meeting in the BIK community (login first).

Please contact Karl for any further information on helpline early warning meetings.

Dr Cosmin Nada from the University Institute of Lisbon will present some research evidence on the impact of digital tools on well-being, along with Portuguese recommendations from DGE (the Ministry of Education in Portugal). Dr Nada is also part of the ENESET network, which is producing a report for the European Commission focusing on mobile phone bans in schools across Europe, and will share some of the research findings. The meeting will take place on Thursday, 11 December 2025 at 11:00 CET; use this link to join.

For further information, please contact Karl. 

This online meeting will take place on Monday, 15 December 2025 at 11:00 CET. During the meeting, we will hear from colleagues at the Swedish SIC and Linköping University, who will share reports and research from Sweden. You can use this link to join the meeting.

Please contact Karl for further information. 

The next online meeting for youth coordinators will take place on Wednesday, 17 December 2025 at 11.00 CET. During this meeting, we will focus on the youth feedback on the Safer Internet Forum and their opinion about the event. Access the meeting using this link; for further information, please contact Chiara or Carolina.

The next early warning meeting for awareness centres will take place on Wednesday, 8 January 2026 at 11:00 CET; use this link to join. Please remember that you can use the Teams chat to share information between meetings

A reminder that the report from the last meeting is available from the BIK community (login first). 

Please contact Karl for any further information on awareness early warning meetings.

The next edition of Safer Internet Day is fast approaching, and campaign activities will start ramping up in the coming months. A reminder that SID 2026 will be marked by a global day of focus on Tuesday, 10 February 2026, and events and activities will take place throughout the whole month, across Europe and the globe! 

Sharing network SID plans
As is customary, we have once again made an online document available for SICs and SIC+ countries to share their SID plans with other members of the network. A reminder that this is an internal document only, to allow network members to see the plans of other SIC/SIC+ organisations, and to make connections where there are synergies. The EC also refer to this regularly to help inform SID planning. Please update the document regularly as your plans progress. 

Updating SID public profile pages
A reminder that direct access to update SID profiles is now possible for Safer Internet Centres and SIC+ organisations via the BIK platform. Please contact the SID helpdesk to check or nominate a SID profile editor for your SIC.

While direct profile updates are preferred for SIC and SIC+ profiles, the traditional online profile update form (via EUSurvey) is still available if needed.

SID assets
A reminder that a save-the-date logo for SID 2026 is available to download in the BIK community (login first). Additional assets are also available from the About Safer Internet Day page of the public site.

Please keep checking the Insafe Weekly Update for the latest information, or contact the SID helpdesk with any further questions regarding the 2026 campaign.

[FINAL REMINDER] Apple support for Safer Internet Day 
As you know, Safer Internet Day is a collaborative campaign, and we can often benefit from multiplier actions to increase visibility of Safer Internet Centre services. As in previous years, contacts at Apple have reached out to say that the App Store Editorial Content team are happy to promote any SIC apps as part of their actions. If any SICs would like to benefit from this offer, please contact Sarah as soon as possible (and by close of business on Thursday, 11 December 2025) so that we can connect you with the team.

In addition, Apple has made us aware of a few additional resources that any App manager can avail of, including: 

• Optimise your Product Page for better discovery on the App Store: 
  https://developer.apple.com/app-store/product-page/
• The Featuring Nominations tool lets Apple teams know about timely activities and potential Editorial Featuring:
  https://developer.apple.com/app-store/getting-featured/
• Create special content or activity and surface them using In-App Events to promote on and off the App Store:
  https://developer.apple.com/app-store/in-app-events/ 

If any SICS would prefer to do promotions themselves, Apple can also offer a brief call to support and provide some guidance on the links and actions above. 

EC colleagues have asked us to share the following information with the network:

The UNICEF Game Changers Coalition is a global initiative that equips young people and educators with future-ready STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) and digital skills through an open-access online learning programme. By combining the excitement of video games with the powerful STEAM skills needed to create them, such as advanced coding, creativity, collaboration and problem-solving, the Coalition helps students design and test solutions to real-world challenges - from climate action to inclusion - while strengthening the capacities of educators to guide them.

Developed under UNICEF’s Learning Passport and hosted on the UNICEF Agora platform, the initiative offers two dedicated online courses:

• Game Changers for Students, introducing learners aged 10–18 to design thinking, digital creativity and entrepreneurship.
• Game Changers for Educators, helping teachers and youth leaders to mentor students through project-based learning.

Both courses are free of charge and available in English (registration required on Agora).

Since its launch, the Game Changers Coalition has engaged tens of thousands of learners across more than 100 countries, including many in Europe. Through hands-on learning challenges, participants gain digital, entrepreneurial and collaborative competences closely aligned with the EU’s Digital Competence Framework (DigComp) and the EntreComp framework for entrepreneurship.

For educators, the course provides ready-to-use classroom resources that promote inclusive, learner-centred and STEAM-integrated teaching — priorities echoed in the EU STEM Education Strategic Plan (2025) and the Digital Education Action Plan. By nurturing creative problem-solving and a sense of agency, the Coalition contributes to the Digital Decade target of equipping 80% of Europeans with basic digital skills by 2030.

The model’s open and modular design makes it adaptable to various education systems. Schools, youth organisations and national coalitions can incorporate the course materials into their own STEAM and innovation programmes, using them to inspire participation in digital and social entrepreneurship projects.

The Game Changers courses are available free of charge on the UNICEF Agora platform (for students) and here (for educators). Registration is required.

The contact points from UNICEF to reach out to for guidance to implement this online course in national contexts are: Mariam Tabatadze and Raquel Abifadel.

Moreover, you can find the STEAM Curriculum Outline here, which provides an overview of the topics covered in the online course, and a slide deck with background information about the project.

Safer Internet Centres are also requested to check and update their public profile pages on the BIK public portal. Updates can be submitted via this online form; you will be notified once the changes have been implemented. Please submit your updates by the close of business on Friday, 12 December 2025. In case of questions (or for confirmation that no changes are needed), please contact the BIK content mailbox.

Please note: this task can be counted as a level 1 activity in the new lump sum mechanism (LSM) scheme.

Participants in the SIC+ programme are requested to check and update their public profile pages on the BIK public portal (see the Safer Internet Centre+ dropdown list). Updates can be submitted via this online form; you will be notified once the changes have been implemented. Please submit your updates by the close of business on Friday, 12 December 2025.

In case of questions (or for confirmation that no changes are needed), please contact the SIC+ mailbox.

Access the full BIK news article archive here.

Please contact the BIK content mailbox with any article submissions or if you have any queries.

A reminder that reports from online meetings for awareness centres and helplines are now available in the BIK community, including those from early warning meetings for both strands.

Safer Internet Centres have been busy uploading resources to the BIK community resource repository: explore or upload your SIC's resources here (alternatively, access the public resource directory here).

Equally, SICs have been uploading new helpline case studies: explore or upload your SIC's case studies here.

SICs are invited to make direct updates to Safer Internet Day profile pages; please contact the BIK support mailbox to set or check the SID profile editor for your SIC (this role can now be assigned to two people per SIC).

Please remember to log in to access these links.

Need help with the BIK platform?
Please refer to the BIK platform user guides for support with regular tasks (such as resource and helpline case study uploads).

The recently updated Insafe induction manual also provides a good background on the tools and services available to network members, the various commitments you have as a network member (including a handy checklist by strand), and contact information for team members.

Alternatively, we are happy to schedule short online support calls at any time. Please use the contact form on the BIK platform or contact the BIK support mailbox initially. We will then schedule a call at a mutually convenient time.

• Better Internet for Kids (BIK):
  better-internet-for-kids. europa.eu; #BIK; #BIKbulletin
• BIK strategy (BIK+):
  better-internet-for-kids.europa.eu/en/bik/bik-plus-strategy; #BIKplus
• Safer Internet Forum (SIF):
  better-internet-for-kids.europa.eu/en/sif; #SIF2025; #SaferInternetForum
• BIK Knowledge hub:
  better-internet-for-kids.europa.eu/en/knowledge-hub; #BIKPolicyMap
• BIK Youth:
  better-internet-for-kids.europa.eu/en/bik-youth; #BIKyouth
• Safer Internet Day (SID):
  better-internet-for-kids.europa.eu/en/saferinternetday; #SaferInternetDay; #SID2026
• DSA for YOUth campaign:
  #DSAforYOUth; #DSA
• Project Facebook profiles:
  Insafe, Safer Internet Day, Insafe network closed Facebook group, INHOPE
• Project X (formerly Twitter) profiles:
  @insafenetwork; @safeinternetday; @BIK_youth; @inhope_pr
• Project LinkedIn profile:
  Better Internet for Kids