Better Internet for Kids

This strategy aims to combat cyberviolence, online harm, terrorist activities, and e-crime through preventive, educational, and innovative measures. In relation to children’s rights, the strategy determines activities focused on raising awareness of the safe use of digital technologies and developing online skills.
(Source: CNCS).

Entities responsible for implementation: Superior Council for Cyberspace Security / Conselho Superior de Segurança do Ciberespaço.

The National Strategy for Digitalisation builds on nine goals, denominated as “visions of the strategy”, for a national society adapted to the possibilities of digital technology. The strategy includes collaboration between public and private institutions and civil society. Regarding children and young people, the proposal addresses digital education and  skills, child protection measures, and funding for schools.
(Source: Website).

Entities responsible for implementation:
Danish Government

The National Strategy for Education for Citizenship (ENEC)  focuses on digital citizenship, addressing hate speech and cyberbullying, media literacy and education, sexuality, and cybersecurity. It includes a set of rights and duties  that must be present in citizen education of the Portuguese children and youth.

From the National Strategy, p.22: The issue of protecting children in the digital space, as well as the development of threats and their nature, are very dynamic and rapidly changing phenomena. For this reason, it is therefore necessary to apply a coordinated, consistent and clear approach when solving the concept, as well as an adequate political and institutional support. The national concept for the protection of children in the digital space is developed for the period 2020-2025.

In Iceland, the National Youth Act no. 70/2007 states that local governments should actively pursue the foundation of local youth councils occupied by young people. These local youth councils do not have the capacity to affect national youth policy directly. Still, they can, through cooperation, usually in the form of meetings and conferences with local authorities and/or between themselves, impact local youth policies and influence the dialogue nationally.
(Source: BIK Policy Monitor 2024).

The National Youth Work and Youth Policy Programme is a horizontal programme, which the Government adopts every four years with the aim of promoting a good environment for young people to grow up and live. In the Programme, the Government defines its youth policy objectives and the measures to achieve them. The Programme also outlines youth work, including the priorities for the selection of national centers of excellence in the youth sector for this programme period, and sets Finland's national objectives for European and international activities in the youth sector.

Two particular areas are relevant to children in the digital environment: Its main principle is that consumers should enjoy the same level of protection online and offline. Fighting risky commercial practices is very important, in particular for children. Online traps include practices which are not transparent, for example influencers not indicating when they are paid to promote a specific product (hidden advertising); and in online games, promotion of a virtual currency without indicating the value in real money. Children should be able to recognise on-line traps as early as possible.

The goal of the New Literacy development program is to strengthen children's and young people's media literacy, information and communication technology (ICT) skills, and programming skills in early childhood education and preschool and basic education.

In the fall of 2020, the Ministry of Education and Culture launched the New Literacy Development Program for the years 2020-2023, and it is part of the Ministry's broader Right to Learn development program.  

The latest amendments to the Ombudsman Act from 2018 vested in the institution the power to receive and deal with complaints and reports of violations of citizens’ rights and freedoms, not only on the part of state and municipal authorities and their administrations, or by persons entrusted with the rendering of public services, but also by private entities. In exercising this power, the Ombudsman can also make proposals and recommendations for the promotion and protection of the endangered citizens’ rights and freedoms from private entities.