Better Internet for Kids

Anxiety is a natural and necessary feeling that protects us from certain dangers, almost like a warning about possible events, preparing us to respond more cautiously and attentively.
However, sometimes anxiety can be very intense and overwhelming, and it starts interfering with your daily activities. If you feel anxious or have questions or doubts about intense, overwhelming emotions – you can reach out to the Children’s Line and share how you’re feeling. Feelings become easier to manage when you talk about them.

The Dice game is a playful and educational resource designed to help young children aged 4–7 understand and express their emotions while learning basic principles of online safety. Recognising the importance of nurturing emotional intelligence (EQ) at an early age, the game focuses on fostering empathy, kindness, and self-awareness to help children identify and manage their feelings in everyday situations—including online interactions.

The Dice game is an engaging and educational resource designed to help pre-teens aged 11–13 navigate the challenges of online interactions while building emotional intelligence (EQ). This stage of life brings greater independence online, making it crucial to nurture skills like empathy, self-awareness, and responsible decision-making to promote positive online behaviours and emotional well-being.

This presentation is a digital resource created for teachers of older teenagers that provides an interactive and educational approach to understanding digital footprints. It includes information, activities, and examples aimed at helping teens recognize the impact of their online actions on privacy and reputation. The resource emphasises making responsible decisions while navigating the digital world.  

This is an educational resource created for kindergarten and early primary school teachers to introduce the concept of online safety and digital responsibility to children aged 4–7. It uses a short, engaging story alongside age-appropriate discussion prompts to help young students understand how their online actions can affect their reputation, privacy, and safety. 

The Digital footprint lesson plan for Years 7-11 is designed for educators to address online safety and the impact of digital actions with students. This resource is tailored for a classroom setting and focuses on teaching the importance of managing one’s digital presence thoughtfully. 

The Digital footprint lesson plan for primary school teachers is specifically tailored to guide discussions on the importance of digital responsibility with children aged 8–10. This resource is designed to help students grasp how their online actions can influence their privacy, reputation, and overall safety. The lesson plan incorporates engaging materials, including storytelling and discussion prompts, to foster critical thinking about sharing information online. 

A printed resource on cyberbullying was created for school-aged children to promote awareness and safe online behaviour. Collaborating with youth advisors ensured the content was accurate, engaging, and age appropriate. Their feedback shaped the resource into a relatable and practical guide with clear language and useful tips. Covering essential topics like recognizing harmful behaviours and finding support, the material is accessible to children of various ages. It was published in both Maltese and English to reach a wider audience. 

We are thrilled to present the winning entry of the Safer Internet Day 2023 song writing competition – "Stay Safe Online" by our talented students from Year 5.1 at Gozo College Dun Salve Vella Nadur Primary!

"Stay Safe Online" is more than a song; it's an anthem for Safer Internet Day 2024, created and sung by the brilliant minds of Lucas Azzopardi, Raquel Caruana, Mabel Emme Cauchi, Eliza Hili, Ganni Theuma, and Gabriella Vella. 

The issue of beauty ideals online and their impact on children and young people is complex. Research shows that exposure to beauty and body ideals on social media can lead to a poorer body image—to varying degrees. Research also shows that children (age 10-18) that spend a lot of time on social media tend to be more unhappy with their bodies and suffer from eating disorders to a greater extent than others in their age. In this short parental guide you can read more about the risks and get seven tips on how to talk to your child and give support.