Insafe Weekly Update

The European Commission is currently conducting a public consultation and a call for evidence to support the development of an Action plan against cyberbullying.

The Action Plan will be adopted in early 2026 to build a comprehensive, inclusive, and effective strategy to combat cyberbullying across the EU. It will focus on minors while also considering other elements of cyberbullying, including gender and the heightened vulnerability of certain groups of youth up to the age of 29, such as persons with disabilities, LGBTIQ, migrants and those from religious, racial or ethnic minorities, who are more affected by cyberbullying.    

The public consultations will be open until Monday, 29 September 2025 and are available on the Have your Say portal.

The questionnaire is also available in Word format for screen reader users and in an easy-to-read version. 

Safer Internet Centres are encouraged to share information on this consultation with their own contacts and networks. 

As you know, the European Commission is currently developing an Action plan against cyberbullying. This will include actions to be taken by adults, schools, and social media platforms to help prevent cyberbullying and better support children affected by it (see also below).

To help ensure the action plan meets the needs of children, respects their rights, and reflects their lived experiences, the EC also needs to hear from them. To do this, the EU Children’s Participation Platform has launched an online survey (in all EU languages) for children and teens aged 12-17.

Children can take the survey individually, with support from a trusted adult, or as part of a relevant classroom session. With the aim of ensuring the survey is child-friendly, it was reviewed by child members of the EU Children’s Participation Platform, and changes were made based on their feedback.

• For children aged 12-17: Survey on cyberbullying 2025
• Adults, young people aged 18+, and organisations can also have their say, through the formal EU Consultation: Action plan against cyberbullying

Both the online survey and the EU consultation will close on Monday, 29 September 2025.

Safer Internet Centres are encouraged to share information on this consultation with their own contacts and networks, and especially via their own services and platforms which have direct reach to children and young people. 

The recent 2025 State of the Union Address by President von der Leyen included a key focus on topical online issues. The full speech is available here. The excerpt of the speech of particular relevance to BIK is copied below for your information:

Honourable Members,

The same goes for social media.

It has so many benefits for connecting people.

But I would like to raise one specific topic.

And this is the effects of giving our children unfettered access to social media.

As a mother of seven, and a grandmother of four, I feel the anxiety of parents who are doing their best to keep their children safe.

These parents worry that when their children pick up a phone they could be exposed to the wide-ranging dangers, simply with a scroll.

Online bullying.

Adult content.

Promoting self-harm.

And algorithms that prey on children's vulnerabilities with the explicit purpose of creating addictions.

Too often mums and dads feel powerless and helpless.

That they are drowning against the tsunami of Big Tech flooding their family homes.

I strongly believe that parents, not algorithms, should be raising our children.

Their voice must be heard.

This is why today I am here to tell you that I am listening.

Just as in my days – we as a society – taught our children that they could not smoke, drink and watch adult content until a certain age.

I believe it is time we consider doing the same for social media.

Our friends in Australia are pioneering a social media restriction.

I am watching the implementation of their policy closely to see what next steps we can take here in Europe.

I will commission a panel of experts to advise me by the end of this year on the best approach for Europe.

We will approach this carefully and listen to everyone.

And in all of this work we will be guided by the need to empower parents and build a safer Europe for our children.

Because when it comes to our kids' safety online, Europe believes in parents, not profits.

The BIK Advisory Board provides the European Commission with a point of exchange on the ongoing implementation and future development of the BIK platform initiative and supports effective relationships between all relevant stakeholders. SIC representation in the BIK Advisory Board is through two Safer Internet Centre Coordinators, and representation is rotated annually.

The first BIK Advisory Board meeting under the new contract will take place on the morning of Wednesday, 3 December 2025, in Brussels, Belgium (the day before SIF). SIC Coordinators are invited to express their interest in participating by contacting Rima by the close of business on Friday, 3 October 2025.  
 
We take this opportunity to thank the Coordinators of SIC Croatia and SIC Sweden for proudly representing the network on the Board last year. 

Many thanks to everyone who attended the helpline early warning meeting last week. You can find a report from the meeting and a link to the recording in the BIK community (login first).

The next early warning meeting for helplines will take place on Wednesday, 29 October 2025, at 11:00 CET; join the meeting using this link. Please remember it is possible to use the Teams chat to share any information between meetings. Please contact Karl for any further information.

The early warning meeting for awareness centres took place earlier today, Monday, 22 September 2025. A report from the meeting, along with a link to the recording, will soon be available in the BIK community (login first).

The next early warning meeting for awareness centres will take place on Wednesday, 12 November 2025 at 11:00 CET; use this link to join. Please remember it is possible to use the Teams chat to share any information between meetings. Please contact Karl for any further information.

The next online meeting for youth coordinators will take place on Thursday, 25 September 2025 at 11.00 CEST. During this meeting, we will focus on the outcomes of BEE SECURE Radar 2025 on the use of information and communication technologies by young people in Luxembourg. Access the meeting using this link; for further information, please contact Chiara or Carolina.

We have developed a good practice guide on working with very young users, as shared in the June 2025 edition of the BIK bulletin and available to download here.

The guide was written by Stéphane Chaudron, and we will have an online meeting on Tuesday, 30 September 2025, at 14:00 CEST, where Stéphane will present the guide and share some key information on how to work effectively with younger users online. Use this link to join the meeting. If you have any questions or require additional information, please contact Karl.

Registration is now open for the next Insafe Training meeting, which will take place on the mornings of Tuesday 14, Wednesday 15, and Thursday 16 October 2025. A reminder that this will be an online meeting; there are no restrictions on the number of SIC colleagues who can attend. The agenda is available to view via the registration link.

If you have any questions or require additional information, please contact Karl.

A reminder also that the Insafe Steering Committee meeting will take place, online, on the morning of Friday, 17 October 2025.

As usual, a resource competition will take place as part of the upcoming Insafe Training meeting. All EC co-funded SICs are welcome to participate in the competition, with the opportunity to win €5,000, which must be used to make the resource accessible to the wider network (for example, through translation and/or adaptation). The resource could be a video, brochure, book, research report, learning materials – anything that would be of interest and use to the wider network. 

Please note that there is no specific topic or target audience for this edition of the resource competition, so SICs are invited to submit any recently created resource.

Submitted entries should meet the following criteria:

• The resource should be created by an EC co-funded Safer Internet Centre.
• The resource is suitable for adaptation to benefit the entire network (in the event of victory).
• The resource is relatively recent (for example, developed within the last 18 months). 

Those SICs wishing to take part should submit an entry using this short online form. The deadline to submit entries is the close of business on Friday, 26 September 2025. Please note that each country can only submit one entry. If you are unsure whether a particular resource meets the criteria, please contact Karl or Annarita to discuss.  

Please find below an outline of the upcoming deadlines related to the resource competition.  

A reminder of what is new this year? As you might have read in previous Weekly Updates, a new incentive to enter the training meeting resource competition is the introduction of the new “Best SIC Resource of the Year” award. It will build on submissions to the resource competitions – the entries selected to compete for this additional award (for the 2026 edition) will be the winning entry and the entry that comes in second place.

The teaser phase of the new campaign DSA for YOUth – Protecting minors by design started last week. Look out for posts across the project's social media platforms (LinkedIn, Facebook and X), and please comment, share, and repost.

Feel free to use this promo pack to support spreading the campaign messaging. 

A reminder also that we are still seeking SICs to support with teacher and/or parent webinars as part of the campaign activities. For more details, refer to the fuller campaign item below.

With teaser activities now in progress (see above), the “DSA for YOUth - Protecting minors by design” campaign seeks to raise awareness of the Article 28 guidelines on protecting minors online under the Digital Services Act (DSA), helping children, parents, teachers, and caregivers understand how new guidelines on age verification, privacy, and safety-by-design features make the online world safer and more transparent.

• Timeline: The campaign will run in phases from 15 September to 7 November 2025, starting with a teaser phase, followed by a more active launch aligned with the informal meeting of Ministers for Telecommunication on 9-10 October 2025 (as part of the Danish Presidency of the Council of the European Union), and continuing activities leading up to the Safer Internet Forum on 4 December 2025.
• Campaign outputs: The campaign will deliver a wide range of outputs, including a family-friendly booklet on the Art. 28 guidelines, an online toolkit, youth-created videos, webinars, and SIC insight articles, supported by a multi-platform social media campaign and influencer collaborations. 

In the coming months, SICs will be encouraged to support the campaign in various ways:

1. Providing insights through articles
   SICs are encouraged to showcase their work in enforcing the DSA and helping children, parents, and caregivers address online harms. Through insight articles, social media posts, and features such as ‘day in the life’ stories, the campaign will highlight national best practices, promote trusted flaggers, and provide accessible resources that SICs can share and adapt for their audiences.
   When: Articles will be collected from September through early October; we'll be reaching out directly to SICs later this week.
2. Participating in teacher and/or parent webinars
   SICs are invited to lead or participate in campaign webinars (there will be one for teachers and one for parents), sharing guidance on implementing the DSA in schools and at home, showcasing best practices, and offering practical strategies to enhance children’s online safety.
   When: Webinar dates will be scheduled between 20 and 31 October 2025.
   Deadline: Please express your interest in participating by contacting Inna by the extended deadline of Wednesday, 24 September 2025. We will then work with interested SICS to select a date and begin developing the concepts and content for the webinars. Please note that participating SICs will be fully supported by the BIK comms team at EUN throughout the webinar development and delivery process. The webinars will be conducted in English.
3. Proofreading the family-friendly booklet
   SICs will be asked to review the translated versions of the family-friendly booklet, which summarises the Article 28 guidelines, to ensure clarity, accuracy, and alignment with local terminology and context.
   When: Translated versions will be shared with SICs by 30 October 2025, with feedback required within two weeks.
4. Acting as campaign multipliers
   SICs are encouraged to actively follow the campaign, promote its messages through their channels, and adapt content to their local language and cultural context.
   When: Throughout the full campaign period, 15 September – 7 November 2025. As is typical, the BIK comms team at EUN will provide a variety of resources and materials to support SICs in this process. Refer to the above item for additional information and assets for the teaser phase.

We will continue to provide further updates in the coming weeks. Please stay tuned, or in the meantime, feel free to contact Inna with any questions or suggestions on the campaign. 

The Polish Safer Internet Centre (run by the NASK National Research Institute and the Empowering Children Foundation) is hosting the 19th international conference "Keeping children and young people safe online". The conference gathers hundreds of participants each year from the education sector, public administration, non-governmental organisations, and the technology sector. It is the largest recurring event in Poland dedicated to children's online safety. Safer Internet Centre colleagues are welcome to participate.

Key information:

• 23–24 September 2025: On-site conference at Hotel Airport Okęcie; online participation is also possible (presentations during the first two days will be available in Polish, English, and Polish Sign Language (PJM)).
• 25–26 September 2025: Online webinars (conducted in Polish only).

Further information, including the agenda, speakers, and registration, is available here, or contact kontakt@saferinternet.pl.

This school year, help students stay safe online and thrive offline with the European Commission’s 2025–2026 calendar. Each month explores a digital safety theme, from cybersecurity to digital rights, while supporting students in balancing their obligations. The calendar also features key global and EU observance days and is available in all EU languages. More than a planning tool, it’s a guide to building digital resilience and supporting personal growth, both online and offline.

Download or print the resource from the Publications Office of the European Union website (it's available in both web format (PDF) and in print-quality format (PDF/X)). Additionally, in the coming days, the Publications Office will activate an option to order printed copies (delivery fees will be at the client's expense).

Safer Internet Centres are encouraged to disseminate this new resource.

From group chats to gaming servers, today’s youth connect, learn and grow through online relationships. But alongside connection comes some risks: cyberbullying, grooming, peer pressure, and more.

This new BIK MOOC (massive open online course), Helping kids build and manage healthy online relationships, offers practical guidance for educators, youth workers, and caregivers to navigate these challenges with care and confidence. Starting on Monday, 6 October 2025 and continuing across 5 self-paced weeks, course participants can explore real strategies, discover ready-made tools, and join a European community of professionals facing similar challenges. The MOOC will be delivered in English.

Further information and online registration are available here.

Safer Internet Centres are encouraged to share information on the BIK MOOC with their own networks and contacts. A promo pack is available to support SICs with this (with sample texts, social media posts, and visuals). 

• Research with parents on their children's use of digital technologies

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.

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.

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).

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 note the updated URLs for the new BIK platform:

• 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; #SIF2024; #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; #Pledge2Youth
• Safer Internet Day (SID):
  better-internet-for-kids.europa.eu/en/saferinternetday; #SaferInternetDay; #SID2025; #SID2026
• Media literacy campaign:
  better-internet-for-kids.europa.eu/en/media-smart-online; #MediaSmartOnline
• Child and youth consumer protection campaign:
  better-internet-for-kids.europa.eu/en/adwiseonline; #AdWiseOnline
• 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