About the organisation
The Safer Internet Centre (SIC) in Bulgaria is coordinated by the non-governmental organisation Sdruzhenie Roditeli (Parents Association), in a consortium with two other non-governmental organisations – Bulgarian Association for Family Planning and Sexual Health (BFPA) and the National Network for Children (NNC).
The centre was established in 2005 and was initially coordinated by the Applied Research and Communications Fund (ARC Fund) in partnership with Association Parents; coordination of the consortium passed to Association Parents in 2023.
Its mission is to protect, support and educate children in order to empower them to use digital technology for learning, communicating, socialising and entertainment in a safer and positive way.
Awareness centre
In addition to developing and disseminating awareness materials, the awareness centre develops, pilots, and disseminates educational methodologies for use in schools. It provides trainings for teachers, conducts open lessons for children of all ages, and seminars for parents, carers and professionals.
To enlarge the outreach of the SIC activities, it organises at least three annual campaigns: Safer Internet Day (SID), Teacher-leader in the Digital Era, and Back to School campaigns. It implements a Cyberscouts Programme training children 11-13 years of age to act as advisers to their peers and promoters of online safety rules.
Helpline
The helpline operation of the Bulgarian SIC started in 2008 and is operated by the partner Association Parents. Helpline consultants are psychologists who answer a short telephone number and provide advice and consultations to children, young people, parents, teachers and other professionals via a real-time chat module on the SIC website and by email. The consultants also actively participate in developing awareness materials, educational materials and in training.
Hotline
The hotline became operational in May 2006. Since then, it has dealt with more than four million reports not only about child sexual abuse material (CSAM), but also about sexual grooming, cyberbullying, and other harmful content for children online.
In 2015, the hotline received a special award from the Ministry of Interior for its outstanding contribution to the work of law enforcement in the country.
Youth participation
Part of the Safer Internet Centre is the Youth Panel, consisting of young people aged 13 to 19 who are involved in the centre's activities for a safer internet. Each year, the Youth Panel team includes between 10 and 12 teenagers who develop their digital media skills and play an important role in SIC’s activities.
Key successes
In February 2025, the Centre marked twenty years of operation since its establishment in 2005.
In April 2026, the second “Digital Children” project was launched for a period of three years. The operations of the Bulgarian Safer Internet Centre were saved and boosted in 2024 thanks to the first Digital Children project funding under the Digital Europe Programme of the European Health and Digital Executive Agency (HaDEA) of the European Commission. The funding from the Digital Europe Programme covers 50 per cent of the required funding for all activities of the centre for the online protection and empowerment of children.
With funding from the Digital Children project, SIC Bulgaria has not only continued the work of the National Hotline 124 123 and the hotline, but also strengthened its digital media literacy training activities across the country.
All activities of the centre aim to reach a significant number of children in the country, especially those with limited access to education and information about the dangers of the digital space. Within the Digital Children projects (2024-2025; 2026-2029), the SIC had been training teachers, pedagogical counsellors, school psychologists, social workers, health mediators, paediatricians and other professionals working with children.
- 800+ trainings conducted in the country
- 140 000+ trained children, young people, parents and teachers throughout Bulgaria
- 100+ schools apply the digital-media literacy methodologies approved by the Ministry of Education
- 130 000+ supported children and parents through the phone lines
- 910+ youth ambassadors for safe behaviour on the web through the Youth Panel and the Cyber Scouts programme
- 40+ partners - national and international organisations and institutions
Key partners/promoters
Among the key partners and supporters of the Safer Internet Centre are the Ministry of Interior, the State Agency for Child Protection, the Bulgarian Association for Information Technologies, and the telecom operators Yettel Bulgaria and A1.
Additional links / resources
About the organisation
The Safer Internet Centre (SIC) in Bulgaria is coordinated by the non-governmental organisation Sdruzhenie Roditeli (Parents Association), in a consortium with two other non-governmental organisations – Bulgarian Association for Family Planning and Sexual Health (BFPA) and the National Network for Children (NNC).
The centre was established in 2005 and was initially coordinated by the Applied Research and Communications Fund (ARC Fund) in partnership with Association Parents; coordination of the consortium passed to Association Parents in 2023.
Its mission is to protect, support and educate children in order to empower them to use digital technology for learning, communicating, socialising and entertainment in a safer and positive way.
Awareness centre
In addition to developing and disseminating awareness materials, the awareness centre develops, pilots, and disseminates educational methodologies for use in schools. It provides trainings for teachers, conducts open lessons for children of all ages, and seminars for parents, carers and professionals.
To enlarge the outreach of the SIC activities, it organises at least three annual campaigns: Safer Internet Day (SID), Teacher-leader in the Digital Era, and Back to School campaigns. It implements a Cyberscouts Programme training children 11-13 years of age to act as advisers to their peers and promoters of online safety rules.
Helpline
The helpline operation of the Bulgarian SIC started in 2008 and is operated by the partner Association Parents. Helpline consultants are psychologists who answer a short telephone number and provide advice and consultations to children, young people, parents, teachers and other professionals via a real-time chat module on the SIC website and by email. The consultants also actively participate in developing awareness materials, educational materials and in training.
Hotline
The hotline became operational in May 2006. Since then, it has dealt with more than four million reports not only about child sexual abuse material (CSAM), but also about sexual grooming, cyberbullying, and other harmful content for children online.
In 2015, the hotline received a special award from the Ministry of Interior for its outstanding contribution to the work of law enforcement in the country.
Youth participation
Part of the Safer Internet Centre is the Youth Panel, consisting of young people aged 13 to 19 who are involved in the centre's activities for a safer internet. Each year, the Youth Panel team includes between 10 and 12 teenagers who develop their digital media skills and play an important role in SIC’s activities.
Key successes
In February 2025, the Centre marked twenty years of operation since its establishment in 2005.
In April 2026, the second “Digital Children” project was launched for a period of three years. The operations of the Bulgarian Safer Internet Centre were saved and boosted in 2024 thanks to the first Digital Children project funding under the Digital Europe Programme of the European Health and Digital Executive Agency (HaDEA) of the European Commission. The funding from the Digital Europe Programme covers 50 per cent of the required funding for all activities of the centre for the online protection and empowerment of children.
With funding from the Digital Children project, SIC Bulgaria has not only continued the work of the National Hotline 124 123 and the hotline, but also strengthened its digital media literacy training activities across the country.
All activities of the centre aim to reach a significant number of children in the country, especially those with limited access to education and information about the dangers of the digital space. Within the Digital Children projects (2024-2025; 2026-2029), the SIC had been training teachers, pedagogical counsellors, school psychologists, social workers, health mediators, paediatricians and other professionals working with children.
- 800+ trainings conducted in the country
- 140 000+ trained children, young people, parents and teachers throughout Bulgaria
- 100+ schools apply the digital-media literacy methodologies approved by the Ministry of Education
- 130 000+ supported children and parents through the phone lines
- 910+ youth ambassadors for safe behaviour on the web through the Youth Panel and the Cyber Scouts programme
- 40+ partners - national and international organisations and institutions
Key partners/promoters
Among the key partners and supporters of the Safer Internet Centre are the Ministry of Interior, the State Agency for Child Protection, the Bulgarian Association for Information Technologies, and the telecom operators Yettel Bulgaria and A1.
Additional links / resources
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