Better Internet for Kids

On 7 and 9 July 2025, the Portuguese Safer Internet Centre (SIC) took part in the design thinking workshop led by the “Innovation and Analytics” Lab at NOVA IMS, in Lisbon.

The final selection bootcamp for the 2025 Cybersecurity Challenge in Portugal (CSCPT2025) was held in Gouveia from 11 to 13 July 2025. Throughout the weekend, 22 young participants worked together in teams during various training sessions and the solving of different CTFs (“Capture the Flags”, gamified challenges testing security skills), showing exemplary dedication and mutual respect.

In the Danish digital helpline Cyberhus, counsellors meet with children and young people daily. They need, for various reasons, someone to talk to in a digital context. Sometimes, it may be young people in particularly vulnerable positions who need a trustworthy adult to confide in, or it may be young people simply seeking a sense of community with peers to reflect themselves in. Some young people come only once and find what they need – and then there are those who return repeatedly.

A significant step forward for child protection in Macedonia occurred as the first children’s embassy in the world (Megjashi) has officially received the decision from the Agency for Electronic Communications (AEC) to operate the European child helpline number 116 111 for the first time in the country. Technical implementation is now underway.

Child Focus deals with six new cases of missing minors every day. Five times a day, this involves a young person who has run away. In 2024, Child Focus handled 542 cases of minors who were sexually exploited (non-consensual sexting, grooming, sextortion, sexual exploitation in prostitution). All these difficult situations have one thing in common: the child or young person had no one to turn to.

While online scams are not a new phenomenon, their level of sophistication has increased significantly in recent years. The Irish Safer Internet Centre shares tips for parents and caregivers.

For the second year in a row, A1 Croatia and Safer Internet Centre Croatia brought together international experts in cybersecurity and child protection at the CyberGuard 2025 Conference, held last year in October. With the support of relevant institutions, experts opened a discussion on protection and responsible online behaviour in light of the growing number of online threats.

The Safer Internet Forum (SIF) 2025 took place on Thursday, 4 December 2025 in a hybrid format. This year’s forum explored the theme: “Why age matters: Protecting and empowering youth in the digital age.”.

Safer Internet Day will be celebrated in February 2026, with events and activities taking place throughout the entire month across Europe and around the world, and a global day of celebration on Tuesday, 10 February.

The Better Internet for Kids Hotline Observatory has published its findings for July to September 2025, drawing on data submitted by 28 EU co-funded hotlines. Hotlines continued to support implementation of the Digital Services Act (DSA) while responding to high volumes of public reports and working closely with law enforcement and industry partners.