Better Internet for Kids bulletin

Welcome to the 35th edition of the Better Internet for Kids (BIK) bulletin. This quarterly bulletin aims to keep you informed of safer and better internet issues and opportunities across Europe and beyond. In each edition, we bring you a mix of news, research and resources from many of the key stakeholders in keeping children and young people safe online, be they European Safer Internet Centres (SICs), research organisations, industry partners, policymakers or other experts in the field.

The European Union has designated 2023 as the European Year of Skills. Therefore, in this edition, the focus is on putting “skills centre-stage”, highlighting the importance of equipping children and young people with the competences they need to succeed in an increasingly digitised world.   

As part of this framework, we have recently launched the #Back2School campaign 2023 across Better Internet for Kids (BIK) communication channels. This campaign targets individuals working with children and young people to educate them about a safer, better internet experience. Building on the momentum, we shed light on similar campaigning initiatives, activities and events carried out by the Insafe network of Safer Internet Centres across Europe, and other stakeholders supporting the development of digital skills.

Also, in this edition, we invite you to register for the Safer Internet Forum (SIF). This year’s edition will take place in a hybrid format on Thursday, 23 November 2023, with a theme of Empowering YOUth with skills for the Digital Decade.

If you have any comments on this resource or would like to contribute to a future edition of the BIK bulletin, please contact us.

It is September, which means it’s once again time to go back to school for pupils, as well as teachers and educators. To kick off the school year that has just started, Better Internet for Kids (BIK) has decided to focus on empowering youth with the skills they need to safely navigate the digital world, and be able to recognise both the opportunities and the challenges it poses.  

Digital skills have become more crucial than ever - the European Union has designated 2023 as the European Year of Skills: the focus is therefore on putting “skills centre-stage”, highlighting the critical importance of equipping people - and especially children and young people - with the competences they need to succeed in an increasingly digitised world.  

Given the EU’s ambitious Digital Decade plans for 80 per cent of all adults to have basic digital skills by 2030, the subsequent European Declaration on Digital Rights and Principles for the Digital Decade clearly indicates as a priority that “Children and young people should be protected and empowered online”.  

How can we ensure that children and young people have the right tools and skills to be protected and empowered online? As this is a crucial area of work for BIK, you will find below some of the key resources that are available to all. 

#Back2School with BIK 

The 2023 #Back2School campaign recently launched across Better Internet for Kids (BIK) communication channels, aimed at anyone working with children and young people to educate them for a safer, better internet experience, including teachers and educators, to support their activities and raise awareness of online safety topics in the classroom. 

Building on the momentum, the campaign also aims to give visibility to similar campaigning activities, initiatives, and events carried out by the Insafe network of Safer Internet Centres, in a synergised effort to collectively amplify the key dissemination messages. Read more about the campaigning activities of the Insafe network here. 

A range of educational materials are also available on the BIK resource gallery. To follow the campaigning activities, make sure to check out the hashtag  #Back2School and to follow us on X (formerly Twitter),  Facebook and LinkedIn. 

The BIK Teacher corner 

The Teacher corner is a section of the BIK portal entirely dedicated to teachers, educators and other adults who work with children and young people. It is your ‘one stop shop’ for learning and teaching about digital citizenship and online safety, and your go-to place for free information, advice and suggested resources to empower you to educate and support youth to safely and positively navigate their digital world. 

There, you will find a wide selection of learning modules, providing teachers and educators with a broad knowledge base to understand the opportunities, risks and educational approaches related to digital citizenship and online safety, and deep-dive articles, providing teachers and educators with great information, advice and resources to understand specific topics and areas of risk. 

If you’re looking for up-to-date resources and learning materials to discover more about the most pertinent topics – such as cyberbullying, mis- and disinformation, sexting and sextortion, artificial intelligence (AI), online gaming, healthy digital habits and more – the BIK Teacher corner is the perfect place. 

As part of the #Back2School campaign, save the date for the BIK Teacher corner webinar on Thursday, 19 October 2023 at 17:00 CEST. The first in a planned series, this webinar will provide an opportunity to explore the BIK Teacher corner in depth, with discussion on how the resources can best be used in classroom settings. Keep an eye on the webinar landing page for more information and registration.

Get set for Safer Internet Forum 2023 

The Safer Internet Forum (SIF) is a key annual event where policymakers, researchers, law enforcement bodies, youth, parents and carers, teachers, NGOs, industry representatives, experts and other relevant actors come together to discuss the latest trends, risks and solutions related to child online safety and making the internet a better place. 

This year's Forum, taking place in November with a theme of Empowering YOUth with skills for the Digital Decade, will seek to discuss and showcase initiatives related to the development of digital skills for children, parents and teachers, while also paying particular attention to the needs of vulnerable users.

Read on to discover more about Safer Internet Forum 2023 – including the involvement of young people in the planning and delivery of the event – and register to secure your online spot now!

Improve your digital skills 

Digital transformation is our present and future, and everyone – and especially children and young people – should be prepared with the right knowledge and skills to be able to lead in the future.  

If you are looking for opportunities to improve your digital skills, to kickstart your career as a young professional, or to support your project, the Digital Skills and Jobs Platform keeps you up to date with training, funding and career opportunities available across Europe.   

Similarly, a series of good practices and resources are available to all to inspire digital education across Europe by showcasing examples of successful initiatives, strategies, and case studies. 

Are you ready to start learning new digital skills? The Cyber Skills Academy is a European policy initiative aiming to bring together existing initiatives on cyber skills and improve the building of knowledge across different sources. The 2023-2024 work programme was recently launched. 

Support digital skills development across a range of media  

Continue reading this edition of the BIK bulletin for more on digital skills development from a range of stakeholders. Recognising the various ways in which children and young people consume – and create – media in today's world, discover more about the co-creation of critical digital and media literacy interventions for teens as part of the Media Literacy Case for Educators (MLCE) project, and learn more about the importance of film education and the value of video games in educational settings. We also bring you news of the forthcoming ySKILLS conference which will pose the question: Are children skilled enough for the digital world?

Image credits: elenavagengeim/Canva Pro; Better Internet for Kids

In the lead-up to this year's Safer Internet Forum (SIF) 2023, the involvement of young people is taking centre stage, ensuring that the event truly reflects the voices of today's digitally connected youth. Two key youth-driven groups – the Better Internet for Kids (BIK) Youth Panel and the Safer Internet Forum Youth Advisory Group (SIF YAG) – are working hard to shape the event. 

The BIK Youth Panel, now comprising 31 young people aged 13 to 19 from 22 European countries, has been meeting every week since the beginning of September. These dedicated young people come together to engage in productive discussions and debates. In their most recent session, for example, they tackled the crucial issue of child-adult collaboration on the internet. Three thought-provoking topics were debated:

• It was discussed whether teachers can effectively teach internet safety when they themselves may lack sufficient knowledge in this area. The panel suggested that teachers should attend mandatory courses on internet safety to equip them for this important role.
• The BIK Youth Panel emphasised the importance of teaching internet safety from an early age. They advocated for children learning these vital skills at home from their parents, rather than relying solely on schools to provide this education.
• The panel expressed concerns that many adults might not fully understand what internet safety entails. This gap in knowledge should be addressed to create a safer digital environment for everyone.

From a different perspective, the SIF YAG, a group of ten young individuals representing different EU countries, is diligently preparing for this year's Forum, themed Empowering YOUth with skills for the Digital Decade. Their focus is on defining the event's speakers and shaping its sessions. The goal is to ensure that the Forum delivers insightful and inspiring discussions that resonate with the concerns of today's youth in the ever-evolving digital landscape.

By actively involving young people in the event’s planning and execution, the Forum aims to create a safer, more informed, and inclusive online world for everyone.

To stay updated on youth activities related to the Better Internet for Kids agenda across Europe, visit www.bikyouth.eu. Read on to discover more about Safer Internet Forum 2023, and secure your online spot now!

Image credit: Better Internet for Kids/BIK Youth

Registration is now open for this year's Safer Internet Forum (SIF) which will take place on Thursday, 23 November 2023 in a hybrid format in Brussels and online. This year’s edition is titled Empowering YOUth with skills for the Digital Decade.
 
Within the framework of the European Year of Skills and other European policy provisions, Safer Internet Forum 2023 will specifically focus on pillars two and three of the BIK+ strategy, exploring digital empowerment and active participation/respect as it relates to children and young people. The Forum will seek to discuss and showcase initiatives related to the development of digital skills for children, parents and teachers, while also paying particular attention to the needs of vulnerable users. Once again, the event is being organised in a youth-led manner, with young people playing an active role in the planning, preparation and delivery of the Forum.

Professor Amanda Third (PhD) will deliver the keynote, titled Life online - the skills and competences needed to thrive. 

Professor Third is a Professorial Research Fellow at the Institute for Culture & Society, Co-Director of the Young and Resilient Research Centre at Western Sydney University, and a Faculty Associate in the Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University (2020-2023). An international expert in youth-centred, participatory research, Amanda’s work investigates the intersections between children's and young people’s technology practices and their mental health and well-being, focusing on marginalised groups and rights-based approaches. She has led child-centred projects to understand children’s experiences of the digital age in over 70 countries, working with partners across corporate, government, and not-for-profit sectors and children and young people themselves.

Participants in the Safer Internet Forum will also hear from young influencers who will share their personal experiences of what they have done to address relevant challenges and overcome adversity in the fast-moving online space, while helping to promote skills development among their peers. An interactive session, led by BIK Youth panellists, will provide insights into what being a teen online in 2023 is really like!

While we are only able to accommodate an invited audience in person in Brussels on this occasion, we welcome online attendance from all with an interest in creating a safer and better internet for children and young people.

Find out more, view the agenda, and register for online attendance here.

Image credit: Better Internet for Kids

The Insafe network of helplines collects data about the types of calls received and this is analysed every three months in order to look at possible trends and emerging issues. Since April 2023, helplines have been using an updated set of categories to log contacts against.

The new categories were agreed upon following extensive consultation and discussion with the helpline network. The work was led by a helpline working group that spent considerable time determining the changes that needed to be made. 

The most recent helpline data covers the period from April to June 2023. There were almost 21,000 contacts made to the network – this is an increase on the previous quarter and represents the highest number of contacts that the network has ever received in a single three-month period. There continues to be an overall upward trend in numbers using the helplines over the last three to four years. 

Almost 13.5 per cent of contacts were about cyberbullying and this category continues to be the most common reason for contacting an Insafe helpline. As mentioned above, there are several new categories being used to log helpline reports, with suicide, self-harm, pornography, fake news and radicalisation/terrorism all being added and accounting for a total of 13.5 per cent of all contacts. This clearly demonstrates the importance of collecting data around these issues. Sextortion is now referred to as the online sexual coercion and extortion of children (OSCEC) and accounted for over seven per cent of contacts.

Read more on the latest Insafe helpline statistics on the Better Internet for Kids (BIK) portal.

Image credit: annastills/Canva Pro

As summer comes to an end, millions of children around the world return to their classrooms, ready to dive back into traditional school subjects like maths, history, literature and science. Yet, one piece that is often missing from their curriculum is digital education. Even though digital technology has long been an indispensable aspect of most students’ lives, online safety remains a scarce topic in many schools worldwide.

In this era of continuous digitalisation, we are witnessing an increase in the threats young people might encounter online. And data from reports received by INHOPE, member hotlines reveal a concerning trend. Sexual online content has become normalised and popular among teens, with research indicating that many young people consider sexting and sharing nudes to be a natural part of their sexual development. While sexual exploration is a typical part of adolescence, many underestimate the potential impact it can have when this content is immortalised on the internet or falls into the wrong hands. In addition to the consensual exchange of sexual content among teens, there are various other risks lingering online. Not being sufficiently informed on how to recognise risky situations can cause harm and create long-term consequences for young people.

To ensure that all children and young people can enjoy all the fun, exciting, and social parts of the internet without putting themselves and others at risk, implementing digital literacy education in schools is essential. INHOPE offers some tips on dealing with some of the more challenging conversations in school settings.

Read the full article on the Better Internet for Kids (BIK) portal.

Image credit: INHOPE

The holidays are now officially over. As a parent or carer, are you worried about how to cope with your children’s everyday school life? The Austrian Safer Internet Centre shows you how to make your life easier and make learning fun with apps.

Read the full article on the BIK portal. 

Playgrounds are no longer just in the physical realm; children also gather online to play. But sadly, individuals with bad intentions may try to target children online through gaming platforms or social media – this phenomenon is called grooming. Child Focus, the Belgian Safer Internet Centre, has created a prevention game, OK Groomer, to teach children aged 8-14 how to deal with grooming in a playful way.

Read the full article on the BIK portal.

Once again, with the start of a new school year, the Greek Safer Internet Centre has created and shared new digital educational material for students of all grade levels. The material consists of valuable tools that can be used in the classroom and for independent learning at home.

Read the full article on the BIK portal. 

The Italian Safer Internet Centre recently organised an event at the Ministry of Education to kick off the new school year, packed with webinars and other activities for young people.  

Read the full article on the BIK portal. 

In order to contribute to the fight against hate speech, the Luxembourg Safer Internet Centre ran the #NOHATEONLINE campaign to raise awareness during the 2022-2023 school year.

Read the full article on the BIK portal. 

Youth participation was the key to success when the Swedish Safer Internet Centre recently arranged a seminar at Almedalen Week on the isle of Gotland. High school student Huda, who was also the moderator of the seminar, said it is important to give children and youth real and concrete opportunities to be involved.

Read the full article on the BIK portal. 

Video games are transforming classrooms and teaching methods in an unprecedented way. The Games in Schools project, coordinated by Video Games Europe and European Schoolnet, is designed to train teachers and educators across Europe on how to use video games as pedagogical support in the classroom.

The project’s outputs include a massive open online course (MOOC) about games in schools, and a selection of teacher-created lesson plans. Additionally, a new handbook for teachers on using video games for educational purposes has recently been published: discover the power of gaming for education here. 

Image credit: Games in Schools/EUN/Video Games Europe

The Media Literacy Case for Educators (MLCE) project involved 400 educators and teenagers in Europe in the co-creation of critical digital and media literacy interventions for teens.

The research helped identify key topics, formats, and methods for effective educational resources: 

• Insights from educators and librarians stressed the need for captivating materials tailored to teenagers' shorter attention spans and adaptability to national curricula. They also highlighted the importance of providing age-appropriate content in a simple manner. Read the full report: An assessment of the needs of educators and youth in Europe for a digital and media literacy education intervention.
• A literature review revealed the complex nature of digital and media literacy education, with an emphasis on context-specific strategies and ongoing teacher training. It was also acknowledged that digital literacy encompasses various related skills. Read the full report: Digital and media literacy education: Navigating an ever-evolving landscape.
• Youth input sessions engaged 293 teenagers across Europe, leading to the discovery of common themes such as perceptions of online environments, concerns about technology's impact on relationships, and awareness of monitoring and control. As a result, two workshop outlines were published, addressing how tech shapes the future and what matters to youth. These resources aim to inspire further discussions and education. 

The findings from this research will be used to develop comprehensive educational tools for teachers, trainers, and librarians across Europe, promoting critical digital and media literacy among today's youth.

Image credit: EUN/MLCE

In today's rapidly evolving digital world, where visual storytelling dominates our screens, film education is becoming an important component of media literacy. As we consume an increasing amount of audio-visual content, understanding the language of film goes beyond entertainment; it becomes a key tool for critical thinking and effective communication. Hence, it is crucial to explore the significance of film education as an essential element of media literacy, shedding light on how it empowers children and young people to navigate the complex world of multimedia content and make informed choices in the digital environment.

The European Film Factory (EFF) platform, funded by the Creative Europe Media programme, facilitates this journey. It offers a wide range of resources and opportunities to enhance film education and media literacy across Europe and beyond.

Over the last three years, project partners, in collaboration with teachers, have been developing teaching resources adapted for non-experts. These resources are easily accessible and flexible, designed to fit the diverse educational systems in Europe where educators and cultural mediators often lack the necessary tools and materials. The project platform provides access to more than 20 feature films, short films, documentaries, and animations, along with educational kits translated into nine languages.

This year has been quite eventful for the project. The 16th Four River Film Festival, which took place in Croatia in September 2023, witnessed the valuable contribution of the EFF project to the world of film education and the cinematic landscape through a series of masterclasses and workshops.

In the upcoming months, a series of webinars and masterclasses will take place, hosted by experts in the film industry alongside teachers who actively use EFF resources and tools in their classroom practice. Register on the European Film Factory platform to gain access to the film catalogue and educational kits, and to stay updated on new projects, resources and events.

Image credit: European Film Factory (EFF)

As part of the Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme, the ySKILLS project focused on enhancing and maximising the long-term positive impact of the ICT environment on multiple aspects of well-being for all children by stimulating resilience through the enhancement of digital skills. As the project draws to a close, a final conference will take place at the Irish College in Leuven (Belgium) on Thursday, 30 November 2023.

During the event, the main research findings on the role of digital skills and digital knowledge in relation to individual and social characteristics of children and young people, their digital access and activities, related risks and opportunities, and their well-being will be presented. Recommendations will be shared for policymakers, caregivers, and educators, and a participatory toolkit will also be presented. Particular attention will be paid to the needs of children in vulnerable situations.

Conference attendance is free, but advance registration is required. Discover more at ySKILLS.eu and register to attend here. 

Image credit: ySKILLS

The next edition of Safer Internet Day will take place on Tuesday, 6 February 2024, when we will again join Together for a better internet, right across the globe! Save the date in your diaries now.

Campaigning activities will start soon but keep checking the Safer Internet Day website – www.saferinternetday.org – in the interim for the latest news and updates.

Image credit: Better Internet for Kids/Safer Internet Day