Insafe Weekly Update

It was good to see so many of you in Warsaw last week for the Insafe-INHOPE joint training meeting. Many thanks for all of your interaction and participation; we hope that you found the meeting useful. Thanks also to our Polish colleagues for being such great hosts.

You can find copies of the presentations from the meeting in the BIK community (login first).

We would also be very grateful if you could take a few minutes to complete the short evaluation survey which will help us to plan for future meetings.

If you have any questions or need any further information about any aspect of the training meeting, please contact Karl.

Denton Howard and Hans Martens received special commemorative plaques from NASK National Research Institute, on behalf of INHOPE and Insafe respectively, at the joint training meeting in Poland.

The winner of the April 2024 resource competition - chosen during the joint Insafe-INHOPE Training meeting last week - is the French Safer Internet Centre with the game Stop online violence - congratulations!

Congratulations also go to the German and Irish Safer Internet Centres for making it to the top three most popular resources, and thanks to everyone who tool part.

In case of queries regarding any aspect of the resource competition, please contact Annarita.

A new study, commissioned under the BIK+ strategy, explores age assurance, including age verification tools, in today's digital landscape. The study, titled Mapping age assurance typologies and requirements, outlines the legal and practical aspects of age assurance, detailing its necessity, methods, and associated challenges. Age assurance refers to the methods used to determine an individual's age with different levels of confidence or certainty. They can be grouped into three main categories: age estimation, age verification, and self-declaration. Digital service providers bear the primary responsibility for ensuring proportionate age assurance.

Read more on the European Commission website.

The full research report can be read or downloaded from the Publications Office of the European Union website; executive summaries are also available in English and French.

Democracy is about making sure that everyone’s voice counts and is heard when governments make decisions. For democracy to work, there should be free and open discussions based on true information. For children and teenagers, this means that they have the right to express their views and opinions on matters that affect them.

Participation can mean different things: for example, voting is an important aspect of participation, but it could also be answering a survey, signing a petition or going to a meeting. Participation could also be taking action to improve schools, better street lighting, raising awareness about mental health, or taking climate change action.

The EU Children's Participation Platform is currently running a democracy survey. Aimed at young people who are EU citizens or living in an EU country and aged 17 or younger, the survey aims to gather youth views on democratic participation, what young people think works well, what type of changes are needed, and to gather personal experiences. The survey is available in all official languages of the EU; the deadline for responses has been extended until the end of April 2024.

Further information can also be found in the newsletter of the EU Children’s Participation Platform: Democracy and you! (March 2024).

Safer Internet Centres are encouraged to disseminate the information through their own networks and contacts.

The next meeting of the helpline early warning group will take place on Tuesday, 23 April 2024 at 11:00 CEST. Use this link to join the meeting; for further information, please contact Karl.

The next online meeting for youth coordinators will take place on Wednesday, 24 April 2024 at 11:00 CEST. During this meeting, Helderyse Rendall and Dominika Knoblochová from Tactical Tech will present the What the future wants approach to critical digital literacy for youth, particularly highlighting its exhibition format and its work with partners. For this session, they will also focus on the new Everywhere, all the time resource and how it can support peer-to-peer and intergenerational conversations on the impact of digital technologies on individuals and communities.  Access the meeting using this link; for further information, please contact Eray.

This new good practice guide focuses on how Safer Internet Centres (SICs), European Consumer Centres (ECCs), and other organisations concerned with children’s and young people’s safer internet use can create, pilot-test, and evaluate their online safety interventions and campaigns in an evidence-based manner. The guide was developed based on a brief survey conducted last year to determine the extent to which SICs, and particularly their awareness centres, already adopt evidence-based practices - thanks again to all who responded.

SICs sometimes have limited resources and time for preparing and pre-testing communication campaigns and conducting impact research. Therefore, this guide offers a practical step-by-step approach so they can create more evidence-based outputs on their own or in collaboration with partners. This guide is created in a modular way to allow readers to pick and choose from a range of practical guidance and insightful resources that match their existing expertise and associated additional information needs. It consists of several sections, starting with a literature review that explores and defines the term ‘evidence-based’ and how it can be implicated in developing campaigns and interventions. In addition, it outlines various models and techniques for developing evidence-based practices. These are then discussed in more depth, followed by the outline of a step-by-step approach based on the Intervention Mapping Protocol (IMP). Finally, a conclusion summarises the key insights.
 
In addition, the guide contains various key terms, which are explained throughout and drawn together in the form of a lexicon annex. To provide more depth to specific sections, ‘info boxes’ can be found throughout the guide which discuss theories, techniques, and concrete examples more extensively.

Read or download the good practice guide here. In case of questions regarding this guide, please contact Valentina.

To help SIC colleagues explore and use the good practice guide further, an online meeting will take place this Thursday, 25 April 2024 at 11:00 CEST (with an anticipated finish time of 12:30 CEST). During the meeting, the author of the guide, Michel Walrave, PhD, Professor at the University of Antwerp (Department of Communication Studies), will give further insights into the value of evidence-based campaigning. Use this link to join. 

This event is funded by the European Commission as part of the Better Internet for Kids Programme under the Digital Europe Programme (DIGITAL).

This focus group, taking place online on Tuesday, 30 April 2024 from 10:00 – 16:30 CEST, will explore the Digital Services Act (DSA) and the procedures and roles associated with becoming Trusted Flaggers under the Act. It will outline the new regulatory requirements and provide a platform for experience sharing on the trusted flagger application process and the collaboration status between industry, Digital Services Coordinators (DSCs), and the INHOPE/Insafe networks. Find out more and register to attend on the INHOPE website.

This meeting is intended for INHOPE hotlines and Insafe helplines interested in applying for trusted flagger status, as well as industry operating in the EU and national Digital Services Coordinators.

Please note: all registrations are subject to approval. Registrations close on Wednesday, 24 April 2024 at 17:00 CEST.

Please note, the following item relates to wider INHOPE work. It is not part of the BIK Phase 5 project and is provided here for information purposes only.

On Wednesday, 8 May 2024, the Forum, funded by the European Commission under Project CPORT, will bring together stakeholders to share knowledge and experience, learn about the latest developments in child online safety, and discuss what each of us can do to optimise the joint fight against child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Join INHOPE to learn about the next steps for the ICCAM eco-system and how to navigate through regulations ensuring correct information exchange.  This is an in-person event, taking place in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Advance registration is essential.

Find more about the CPORT Forum here. 

Please note, the following item relates to wider INHOPE work. It is not part of the BIK Phase 5 project and is provided here for information purposes only.

What is needed to reshape the workflow of law enforcement who are processing the continuously growing number of NCMEC reports? At this year’s AviaTor Forum, taking place in Brussels, Belgium on Wednesday, 26 June 2024, INHOPE aims to answer that question by focusing on innovation, legislation, and cooperation. Law enforcement, industry, legislators, trust and safety teams, tech, academics, NGOs and hotline analysts are invited to register for this in-person event. Advance registration is essential.

Find more about the AviaTor Forum here. 

As you may know, we wish to develop a new mascot for the annual Safer Internet Day (SID) campaign, ideally with a lifespan of several years. EUN is currently appointing an external design agency to support with this task, but there is one essential condition – the design must be youth-led.

As such, we are looking to convene a youth focus group of approximately 10-15 young people from across the EU to support this task. The youth focus group will meet with the design agency online over a series of meetings to help define an initial brief and then work iteratively with the agency to comment on concepts and drafts until a final design is achieved. We hope that this will be a short and decisive process, ideally taking a maximum of one month from the point of the first youth focus group meeting to the finalisation of a design. While we can not yet give an exact starting date, we expect this work to take place during May and June 2024. Due to the educational commitments of many of our youth representatives, we would anticipate short online meetings needing to take place in an early evening timeslot. To mitigate any safeguarding concerns, staff representatives from EUN/Better Internet for Kids (BIK) will facilitate all contact with the youth group and will be present in all online meetings.

In terms of criteria for joining the youth focus group, young participants should be enthusiastic and available to commit to this task (although we recognise that it might not be possible to attend every single meeting, participants should aim to provide feedback in alternative forms if possible). The meetings and any associated activities will be conducted in English.

We request that youth coordinators share this information with their youth panellists. Initial expressions of interest should be sent by email to Chiara and Sabrina by the close of business on Tuesday, 30 April 2024.

Any questions regarding the SID mascot redevelopment, more generally, should be addressed to the SID Helpdesk mailbox.

This year, the annual Internet Governance Forum (IGF) will take place from 15-19 December 2024 in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. As in previous years, Insafe is planning to submit a set of session proposals to run at the event, in addition to hosting a promotional booth to promote SID activities, among other activities. As the submission deadline for session proposals is 30 April 2024 (23:59 UTC), we invite colleagues to let us know by the close of business today - Monday, 22 April 2024 if you are interested in supporting the proposal writing and willing to join this year’s Insafe delegation at the IGF. The Insafe Coordination Team is able to support the efforts of the Insafe delegation with a fixed lump sum that will be equally divided among the delegation (EU co-funded SICs only). Please contact Sabrina with any further questions or expressions of interest. 

Launched on Safer Internet Day 2024, the AdWiseOnline campaign on child and youth consumer protection in digital environments aims to raise awareness about manipulative digital marketing practices. The main objective of the campaign is to enhance young people's understanding of digital marketing and online advertising, and empower them with knowledge about their online rights as young consumers. 

Within this campaign, we are producing awareness-raising materials that are designed to simplify the complex terminology of digital marketing and the legal framework of consumer rights. These materials provide young people with a clear understanding of their rights, ensuring that they are equipped to navigate the digital world responsibly and safely.  

Visit the AdWiseOnline campaign page to find: 

• AdWiseOnline guide to outsmarting unwanted ads and marketing traps.
• AdWiseOnline video that was designed for young people to spot subtle marketing traps.
• The research report on manipulative marketing practice in digital environments.

Read more about the hidden costs of platforms and responsibilities of companies and content creators in the recently published article on the BIK portal.  

In case of any questions about the AdWiseOnline campaign or suggestions and ideas for collaboration, please contact Inna.

Please note: This first edition of the campaign is an internal pilot being rolled out in cooperation with a subset of Safer Internet Centres and European Consumer Centres (ECCs), in collaboration with a campaign Task Force, and will run until the end of April 2024. Following evaluation, it will be scaled for fuller rollout in 2025, but SICs are already invited to use and disseminate the campaign's resources and messages. 

Save the date for the next BIK Teacher corner webinar on Disinformation and fake news on Thursday, 2 May 2024 at 17:00 CEST. It will take place online.

This webinar will address mis- and disinformation, fake news, deepfakes and conspiracy theories. In particular, disinformation is surrounded by increasing concern as it has been identified as a concrete threat to democracy. With the European elections coming up in June 2024, this topic is now more relevant than ever. How can teachers and educators support their pupils in the classroom, especially if they are first-time voters?

You can already register for the webinar here. 

Did you miss Webinar 1, which introduced the BIK Teacher corner? If so, you can watch the recording here. 

More generally, check the BIK Teacher corner webinar page regularly for more information on upcoming webinars. 

• New European Commission report explores age assurance
• The Insafe and INHOPE networks meet to facilitate the sharing of experiences and good practice
• Safer Internet Day 2024: the importance of online safety (SIC PT)

Please submit your public portal blog articles to the BIK content mailbox.

Remember, article contributions to the BIK portal will count towards your SIC’s lump sum mechanism (LSM) criteria for 2024.

Helpline case studies

• A minor's identity was impersonated to sell sexual content of her (SIC ES)

Awareness community of practice

• Colleagues from the Romanian Safer Internet Centre have made various posts to the awareness community of practice in the past week.

We hope that you are enjoying exploring the BIK platform. Please note, a BIK user guide is available to download from the BIK community (login first). In case of questions or issues when using any aspect of the BIK platform, please contact us using the contact link in the top right navigation area or email support@betterinternetforkids.eu.

IMPORTANT – if you have new starters who need to register for the platform, please direct them to www.betterinternetforkids.eu/register, in parallel with sending an email to support@betterinternetforkids.eu so that we can verify them and provide further instructions.

Remember, contributions to the BIK community will count towards your SIC’s lump sum mechanism (LSM) criteria for 2024.

• Better Internet for Kids (BIK) public portal:
  www.betterinternetforkids.eu; #BIK; #BIKbulletin
• New BIK strategy (BIK+) on BIK portal:
  www.betterinternetforkids.eu/newbikstrategy; #BIKplus
• Safer Internet Forum (SIF) on BIK portal:
  www.betterinternetforkids.eu/sif;#SIF2023; #SIF2024, #SaferInternetForum
• BIK Policy Map on BIK portal:
  www.betterinternetforkids.eu/bikmap; #BIKPolicyMap
• Safer Internet Day (SID) minisite:
  www.saferinternetday.org; #SID2024; #SID2025; #SaferInternetDay
• Positive Online Content (POCC) minisite:
  www.positiveonlinecontentforkids.eu; #positivecontent; #PositiveOnlineContent; #POCC
• BIK Youth minisite:
  www.bikyouth.eu; #BIKyouth; #Pledge2Youth
• Child and youth consumer protection campaign (launched on Safer Internet Day 2024):
  www.betterinternetforkids.eu/adwiseonline; #AdWiseOnline
• Media literacy campaign (launched in March 2024):
  www.betterinternetforkids.eu/mediasmartonline; #MediaSmartOnline
• 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