Better Internet for Kids

The responses to MLL's Youth media use survey were collected through an online survey during November 2023. A total of 3,627 young people between the ages of 9 and 22 responded to the survey.

The Internet is an important place for young people to strengthen friendships, but many also encounter bullying and harassment there, experiences of being an outsider and loneliness, and addiction. 35 percent of young people would like to reduce their use of the Internet, but feel that they cannot. They expect adults and service providers to play an active role, limit and care.

Dangerous social media trends have become more common among young people, and parents often feel that they are alone. The service warns about dangerous social trends that are gaining visibility. The site also provides information on what harmful and online challenges are and how to talk about them with your child.

Stop, think and talk - dangerous social challenges is a learning material aimed at 7th-9th grades and as a theme for youth work. 

The assignments encourage you to think about safe social media use and how to act if you encounter a harmful or dangerous social media challenge. The material is digital cards, from which you can choose either all, or part, according to the schedule.

This report describes the media education provided to young people by The Mannerheim League For Child Welfare in 2023, youth participation and their activities in digital environments. The main channels of MLL media education for young people are YouthNet (Nuortennetti.fi) and the social media sites of YouthNet, lessons given in schools, workshops and media surveys. We met 7 113 children and young people in our media education lessons. We discussed topics such as online bullying, balanced media use, gaming, digital friendship skills and respectful encounters.

The invitation to participate in this competition is extended to children and teachers who have engaged in our plan to conduct activities promoting safety principles online.

Our theme, "Adolescents' wellbeing in the digital world", addresses the crucial need to prioritize digital wellbeing among young individuals and explores how they choose to cultivate and maintain it amidst persisting online risks.

A video about child’s first mobile phone and the everyday situations and friendship skills that follow. The video also supports discussions on safe and responsible media use to a greater extent. The video and the educational material are aimed at covering this topic with children of preschool and primary school age. You can find the educational material here: https://www.mediataitokoulu.fi/en/tehtavapankki/the-first-mobile-an-animation-for-media-education.

"Don't let the burden of cyberbullying crush you!" is an initiative aimed at addressing the effects and risks of cyberbullying on children and young people, emphasizing the importance of digital education. The initiative encourages the use of available video resources and teaching materials to initiate discussions on cyberbullying prevention and intervention strategies. Participants are urged to understand responsible Internet use and to learn methods to mitigate the risks they may encounter online.

The animation focuses on social media and various themes that are relevant to young people today: social relationships and acceptance, identity building, and issues related to self-esteem and self-respect. The topic of this animation also allows viewers to reflect on social media as a tool for forming one’s own means of expression and participation. The target audience of this animation is children in grades 7–9.

The animation discusses the fears raised by media contents and how they are reflected in the everyday lives of children. It offers an opportunity to discuss what is true and fictitious in the media with early childhood and pre-primary education-aged children and what can be done if they are scared or confused by something that they have seen.

Metaverse is a concept that does not yet have a clear definition. It is used to predict how the internet of the future is going to be used in a social 3-dimensional virtual world. Learn more about this phenomenon, watch a video and use the material with your students. This material is aimed for pupils aged between 12 to 18.