Please note, the EUN office will be closed this Friday (18/04) and next Monday (21/04). As such, the next Weekly Update will be issued on Tuesday, 22 April 2025.

The European Commission has released the ‘Virtual Worlds Toolbox’, an online resource designed to help citizens navigate virtual environments.

Read more and access the toolbox on the European Commission website.

As you may recall, the June 2024 edition of the BIK bulletin focused on virtual worlds.

The next early warning meeting for helplines will take place on Friday, 2 May 2025 at 11:00 CEST; join the meeting using this link. For further information on any aspect of the helpline early warning meetings, please contact Karl.

Please note that the date of this meeting has changed.

An online meeting with Meta will take place on Thursday, 8 May 2025 at 11:00 CEST. It will provide an opportunity to hear about some of the latest tools for privacy and security which have been launched, as well as a chance for questions and discussion. Use this link to join the meeting. If you need any further information, please contact Karl.

The next early warning meeting for awareness centres will take place Wednesday, 14 May 2025 at 11:00 CEST; use this link to join the meeting. All colleagues are welcome regardless of whether you have anything to share. For any further information, please contact Karl.

The recording from the CONNECT University session, which took place on Friday, 11 April 2025, providing practical advice aimed at parents/caregivers, educators and the wider public on how to support and protect children when they are online and particularly as young consumers in the digital space, is now available on YouTube.

A playlist of all previous CONNECT University webinars can be seen here.

The March 2025 edition of the BIK bulletin has recently been published. This edition focuses on the findings from the first evaluation of the BIK+ strategy, in which emerging risks and new challenges are identified, and actionable recommendations for improvements are proposed. Building on the focus topic of the last edition of the BIK bulletin on manipulative marketing practices in online gaming, our new Knowledge hub insight series delves into commercial exploitation through addictive design.

Visit the BIK portal for the bulletin archive, or subscribe to receive future editions direct. 

Articles
Access the BIK news article archive here.

Please contact the BIK content mailbox with any article submissions or in case of any queries.

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, #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

As a reminder, various presentations and materials from the Insafe-INHOPE joint training meeting are now available to download from the BIK community (login first).

Various reports from online meetings for awareness centres and helplines are now available in the BIK community (login first).

Need help with the BIK platform?
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 in the first instance, and we will schedule a call at a mutually convenient time.

This Work Programme (WP) 2025-2027 of the Digital Europe Programme (DIGITAL) has recently been confirmed. It is the last one for the duration of the Multiannual Financial Framework 2021-2027, focused on accomplishing and ensuring the sustainability of the actions that have been started and pursued under the previous WPs, such as different data spaces, bringing them from the preparatory to the deployment phase.

Read more on the European Commission website.

Assessment platform submissions are now due for helplines and hotlines (login first) reporting on the first quarter of 2025 (January - March inclusive). The deadline for both helpline and hotline submissions is the close of business this Friday, 11 April 2025.

The Excel template for helplines is now available in the new BIK community (login first). A reminder, also, that the Good practice guide on helpline data (March 2023) can also be accessed in the BIK community here (login first). For further information, contact Karl (helplines).

The Excel template for hotlines is now available in the new BIK community (login first). Please contact Abby (INHOPE) for any queries regarding hotline submissions.

Please remember that these submissions must be made using the assessment platform in the new BIK community. In case of issues accessing, or if you need to assign reporting permissions to new/different staff members, please contact the BIK support mailbox.

Please note, this item relates to wider INHOPE work not linked with the BIK Phase 5 project and is provided here for information purposes only. 

INHOPE has released its 2024 Annual Report. Get the latest insights on global efforts to combat child sexual abuse and exploitation. Data from the INHOPE network of 55 hotlines across 51 countries highlights key trends shaping child online safety today.  
 
These insights help make informed decisions - whether you're shaping policy, strengthening regulation, or investing in resources to protect children online. See how the digital landscape is evolving and what that means for your work. 

Read the full report here.

Many thanks to those people who attended the early warning meeting for awareness centres last week. You can find a report from the meeting along with a link to the recording in the BIK community (login first). The Netflix show Adolescence is clearly sparking a lot of debate across Europe and there are some links to resources and articles in the report. For any further information please contact Karl. The next meeting will take place at 11:00 CEST on 14 May 2025.

Many thanks to everyone who joined the online meeting with Throughline Care last week. This is a service that is used by many of the big social media and gaming companies where users are signposted to a helpline local to them who can provide help and support. Some Insafe helplines are already part of this but if you want your helpline to be then there is more information in the report which can be downloaded from the BIK community (login first) where you can find a link to a recording of the meeting. If you need any more information or have any questions please contact Karl.

Please note that the date of this meeting has changed.

An online meeting with Meta will take place on Thursday, 8 May 2025 at 11:00 CEST. It will provide an opportunity to hear about some of the latest tools for privacy and security which have been launched, as well as a chance for questions and discussion. Use this link to join the meeting. If you need any further information, please contact Karl.

The next early warning meeting for helplines will take place on Friday, 2 May 2025 at 11:00 CEST; join the meeting using this link. For further information on any aspect of the helpline early warning meetings, please contact Karl.

Although digital technologies offer a world of opportunities and benefits for children and young people, it is important to understand the risks associated with them and how to best protect children and young people as young consumers online. Against this background, the European Commission is organising a CONNECT University sessionon Friday, 11 April 2025, from 10:00-12:00 CEST, aiming to provide practical advice aimed at parents/caregivers, educators and the wider public on how to support and protect children when they are online and particularly as young consumers in the digital space.

Join the session here (or use meeting code #BIK25 on www.slido.com).

The session will be open to all public, with a special focus on parents and teachers: please share with your networks.

The March 2025 edition of the BIK bulletin has recently been published. This edition focuses on the findings from the first evaluation of the BIK+ strategy, in which emerging risks and new challenges are identified, and actionable recommendations for improvements are proposed. Building on the focus topic of the last edition of the BIK bulletin on manipulative marketing practices in online gaming, our new Knowledge hub insight series delves into commercial exploitation through addictive design.

Visit the BIK portal for the bulletin archive, or subscribe to receive future editions direct. 

Articles
Recently published articles include:

Need some support?
Please contact the BIK content mailbox with any article submissions or in case of any queries.

As a reminder, various presentations and materials from the Insafe-INHOPE joint training meeting are now available to download from the BIK community (login first).

Various reports from online meetings for awareness centres and helplines are now available in the BIK community (login first).

Need help with the BIK platform?
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 in the first instance, and we will 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, #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