Activities :: Social Networking Sites :: What is the EU doing?
What is the EU doing?
Raising awareness & empowering children
The European Commission wants to ensure that Europeans can enjoy all that new technologies have to offer without worrying about threats to their privacy or viewing inappropriate content.
Much of its efforts has focused on children and teenagers, who have become massive users of social networking sites, and active users of the Internet as a whole. Over the past decade, the European Commission has been tackling the issue of online child empowerment and protection, particularly through its Safer Internet Programme.
The European Commission is supporting self-regulation when it is broadly accepted by stakeholders and where it provides for effective enforcement. Therefore, the Commission welcomed the first self-regulatory agreement signed by major social networks active in Europe on Safer Internet Day, 10 February 2009, in Luxembourg. On this occasion Viviane Reding, Commissioner for Information Society and Media, gave a speech on social networking.
The Commission committed to monitor the implementation of this agreement and on Safer Internet Day 2010, in Strasbourg, it has presented the first findings of an independent assessment reporting on the implementation of the Principles by the 20 signatories.
In June 2011 the Commission published the first batch of results of the second independent assessment of the implementation of the Principles by 14 signatories.
Making the Internet safer, especially for children
The Safer Internet Programme includes many actions concerning online child protection.
Increasing awareness about the risks linked to the Internet
- INSAFE Network: a network of 'Safer Internet' centres in 27 European countries was created to raise public awareness and run help lines where young people can get personalised advice. The centres organise local awareness workshops as well as information sessions for parents, teachers and children. For more local information, access the website of your own Centre.
- Campaign on cyber-bullying: the European Commission launched a pan-European communication campaign on 10 February 2009 to show young people the impact of cyber bullying.
- Campaign about online risks: Wo is Klaus is one of the most popular videos for making parents aware of the risks facing their children online.
Encouraging the adoption of rules and principles by those who create new interactive tools (self-regulation)
The European Commission is very much in favour of strengthening existing and launching new self-regulation systems as such systems often enable or facilitate flexible and workable solutions, in particular in sectors where regulation is rather complex and difficult to execute, such as the Internet and particularly web 2.0.
- European Social Networking Task Force: in 2008, the Commission convened 18 of Europe's major social networks as well as researchers and child welfare organizations, to discuss ways to improve the safety of children using social networks and to agree on a set of guidelines for use of social networks by youngsters, to be adopted voluntarily by the European industry. The Task Force decided that a commitment was needed to protect children online while maximizing the benefits of the Internet. Therefore, they agreed on a set of guiding principles for safer social networking which were signed on Safer Internet Day, 10 February in Luxembourg. The Commission committed to monitor the implementation of this agreement and on Safer Internet Day 2010, in Strasbourg, it has presented the findings of an independent assessment reporting on the implementation of the Principles by the 20 signatories.
- Public consultation on social networking and child safety was launched in 2008 by the European Commission to stimulate debate on this topic. Contributions to the consultation were used in the 2008 edition of the Safer Internet Forum which dedicated one session to social networking and child safety.
Involve children in creating a safer online environment
As the Safer Internet Programme is dedicating to activities and actions aimed at empowering and protecting children online the European Commission has always supported the direct involvement of children in the actions taken within the programme.
- In October 2009 a pan-European Youth Panel involving children from 26 countries took part in the Safer Internet Forum on the topic "Promoting online safety in schools"
- In celebration of Safer Internet Day 2008, the European Commission organised a Youth Forum on Safer Internet in Brussels where youth from 9 European countries (Austria, Czech Republic, Cyprus, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Netherlands, Sweden and UK) discussed issues related to their use of online technologies. They presented their recommendations to Meglena Kuneva, Commissioner for Consumer Protection, industry and politicians.
- The national awareness centres will set up youth panels to be consulted when new activities are planned or when decisions related to online safety have to be made.
- The national awareness centres organize information sessions, workshops and seminars for young people where they are invited to share their experiences and make recommendations.