Insafe Weekly Update

Launched on the occasion of Safer Internet Day 2026, the European Commission's Action plan against cyberbullying aims to protect the mental health of children and teens online in the EU. The Action plan is built around: the rollout of an EU-wide app where victims of online bullying can easily get help, the coordination of national approaches to tackle harmful behaviour online, and the prevention of cyberbullying by encouraging better and safer digital practices.

Discover more:

• European Commission press release
• Action plan against cyberbullying
• Factsheet on the Action plan against cyberbullying

The European Commission has launched a public consultation to assess the impact of the Audiovisual Media Services Directive (AVMSD) and explore options for its review.

The AVMSD coordinates national legislation across the EU for all audiovisual media, from traditional TV broadcasts to on-demand services and video-sharing platforms.

This review, planned in the Commission's 2026 work programme, aims to simplify and adapt the audiovisual media rules to a rapidly shifting media landscape, as highlighted in the European Democracy Shield. Core priorities include streamlining advertising rules, improving the level playing field between traditional and new digital players, and strengthening the protections of minors on video-sharing platforms. Furthermore, the Commission aims to secure the prominence of media services of general interest while improving coherence with other EU laws, notably the Digital Services Act (DSA).  

The consultation is organised in four distinct pillars: scope and enforcement, audiovisual commercial communications, protection of viewers, and strengthening of media diversity in the internal market.

Feedback is invited from across the spectrum, including citizens, Member State authorities, companies and industry, consumer organisations, non-governmental organisations, including media freedom organisations, associations of journalists, and academic institutions.

The consultation is open until Friday, 1 May 2026. It is currently available in English, and all other EU official languages will follow shortly.

The next early warning meeting for awareness centres will take place on Wednesday, 18 February 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 also that reports and recordings from previous meetings are available from the BIK community (login first).

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

The next online meeting for youth coordinators will take place on Thursday, 26 February 2026 at 11.00 CET and will focus on sharing different youth panel models from across the network and identifying common challenges and solutions. Access the meeting using this link. A reminder that you can find reports from previous youth coordinator meetings in the BIK community (login first). 

For further information, please contact Chiara or Carolina.

A Czech non-profit initiative, AI for Children, has put together an AI curriculum for both primary and secondary schools. You can see the curriculum here. A meeting will take place at 11:00 CET on Tuesday, 10 March 2026. Use this link to join the meeting and learn more about the resource and how to use it. For further information, please contact Karl.  

The next helpline early warning meeting will take place on Thursday, 12 March 2026 at 11:00 CET; join the meeting using this link.

Reports from the previous meeting and a link to the recording in the BIK community (login first).

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

An online meeting with Snap will take place on Tuesday, 24 March 2026 at 11:00 CET. This will be an opportunity to hear about the latest updates to privacy and security on the platform, as well as other developments. There will also be a chance for discussion and Q&A. Please use this link to join the meeting. For any further information, please contact Karl. 

A reminder that the next Joint Insafe-INHOPE Training meeting will take place in Latvia on Wednesday, 15 and Thursday, 16 April 2026. The meeting will take place at the Baltic Beach Hotel in Jurmala near Riga. Further information about the agenda and other logistics will follow, but the meeting will start at 13:00 CEST on Wednesday, 15 April and will finish at 17:00 CEST on Thursday, 16 April.

The Insafe Steering Committee will take place on the morning of Friday, 17 April 2026, from 09:00 CEST to 12:00 CEST.

We have secured a discounted rate for accommodation at the hotel, covering the period from Tuesday, 14 April, until Saturday, 18 April, for those who would like to extend their stay. You will need to enter the code BIK2026 when you use the online booking form, and this will give you 20 per cent off the day’s best price for all room categories. Cancellation is free of charge up to 10 days before the event.

If you have any questions or need any further information, please contact Karl.

UNICEF will host a launch webinar for its new industry toolkit on children’s rights and digital marketing, taking place on Tuesday, 24 February 2026 from 14:00 to 15:00 CET; register here to attend. Registered participants will also receive the recording and direct access to the toolkit once it is published, even if they cannot attend live.

This practical, research-based resource is designed to help companies strengthen responsible digital marketing practices, understand child rights risks across marketing content, context and design, and align with emerging standards and expectations.

The webinar will be an opportunity to:

• learn about how (and why) to implement the new toolkit;
• understand how it can support responsible practice within your company or sector;
• hear from a panel of experts and practitioners on emerging trends, challenges and opportunities;
• learn about next steps.

Aimed at brand, agency, platform, ad tech, policy, sustainability or related roles, the toolkit offers clear, actionable guidance to support safer and more responsible engagement with children online.

Safer Internet Centres are welcome to share this information with their own contacts and networks.

The Special Representative of the UN Secretary General on Violence Against Children is inviting children and young people to share their views and experiences of cyberbullying by completing a short online poll. This will explore their perspectives on cyberbullying and how it has evolved, their access to support, the role of technology, including AI, and actions that help prevent and respond to cyberbullying.  

The poll can be accessed here, and the deadline is Saturday, 28 February 2026. If you wish to share this information on social media, there are some graphic resources you can use to disseminate it. 

For further information, please contact srsg-vac@un.org directly. 

Please note, this item is being shared with the network for information purposes only. The inclusion of such items in the Insafe Weekly Update does not imply any endorsement of the industry or organisation in question.

OpenAI has launched a €500,000 grant programme to support organisations and research teams across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa working at the intersection of youth safety, well-being, and AI. The core aim is to help young people benefit from AI in ways that are safe, responsible, and positive.

The grant is open to NGOs and research groups working directly with children, young people, families, or educators, as well as teams conducting research on how AI affects young people’s safety, development, and digital experiences. Supported projects can include, for example:

• Youth protection or well-being programmes.
• AI literacy or education initiatives.
• Tools or interventions to address AI-related risks.
• Research on AI’s impact on youth well-being and development.

Applications are open until Friday, 27 February 2026. All the details and application information is available here.

Recently published articles include:

• INHOPE hotlines celebrate Safer Internet Day 2026
• New Learning corners content for Safer Internet Day 2026
• Progress and impact for Better Internet for Kids in 2025
• Safer Internet Day is today!

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 continue to upload 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.

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.

Please remember to log in to access any BIK community links.

• 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; #SaferInternetForum; #SIF2025;#SIF2026
• 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; #SaferInternetDay2026; #SID2027; #SaferInternetDay2027
• 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