Better Internet for Kids bulletin

Welcome to the 41st edition of the Better Internet for Kids (BIK) bulletin and the first quarterly edition of 2025.

This bulletin informs you 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 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.

In each edition of the BIK bulletin, we look at a topical issue. For this edition, we're focusing on the findings from the first evaluation of the BIK+ strategy, in which emerging risks and new challenges are identified, and actionable recommendations for improvements are proposed. Building on the focus topic of the last edition of the BIK bulletin on manipulative marketing practices in online gaming, our new Knowledge hub insight series delves into commercial exploitation through addictive design.

We also bring you a round-up of the 2025 Safer Internet Day celebration, which saw people worldwide join "Together for a better internet" over a month of activity, a review of the 2024 BIK Annual Report, and an overview of what's coming up in the child and youth online safety ecosystem in the coming year.

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

The European strategy for a better internet for kids (BIK+ strategy) represents the European Commission’s commitment to creating a digital environment where children and young people are protected, empowered, and respected online. Adopted on 11 May 2022, the strategy builds on two decades of EU initiatives aimed at fostering safer, age-appropriate online experiences. A first evaluation of the BIK+ strategy was conducted in late 2024/early 2025, providing invaluable insights into its progress and successes, identifying emerging risks and new challenges since its adoption, and proposing actionable recommendations for improvement.

The voices of children and young people, including those from vulnerable backgrounds, were instrumental in shaping the findings, ensuring a youth-centred and inclusive approach. Consultations with expert stakeholders in academia, civil society, industry, and policy across Europe complemented this approach to provide a holistic review and evaluation of the strategy.

Key findings include:

• Children’s and young people’s experiences: Participants appreciated efforts to create safer online environments but highlighted persistent challenges. For example, children mentioned being exposed to harmful content, such as explicit materials or hate speech, and falling victim to online scams like phishing attempts. Privacy violations, including hacking and misuse of personal data, were also frequently cited. Many expressed a need for simplified terms and conditions and privacy policies, or clearer instructions on how to report harmful content, which they felt would make navigating the digital world safer and more manageable.
• Inclusivity and accessibility: Approximately one-third of the consultations engaged children and young people from vulnerable backgrounds, including those with disabilities, from low-income families, or ethnic minority communities. Concerning these participants, consultation outcomes emphasised the importance of reducing barriers to online participation. For instance, more accessible features on online platforms were highlighted to create barrier-free access for children with disabilities, in particular with respect to reporting harmful content. Another aspect referred to the persistence of a digital divide caused by limited internet access in rural areas.
• Digital empowerment: Many children and young people felt confident using the internet but identified specific gaps in their ability to navigate challenges. For example, some struggled to recognise disinformation or scams, particularly in fast-evolving platforms like social media. Younger participants often expressed a desire for more tailored digital literacy programmes in schools, such as interactive workshops on identifying credible sources of information or effectively managing online privacy.
• Active participation: Children and young people expressed a strong interest in contributing to policymaking and participating in decision-making, thereby helping to shape digital environments. For instance, they shared ideas on how platforms could better cater to their needs, such as designing more child-friendly interfaces, or providing clearer and more accessible information about terms and conditions. They stressed that digital service providers, in particular, should more actively involve them in developing new and improving existing platforms, tools and features. They also called for more streamlined and regular opportunities to be involved at the local, national, and EU levels of policy development, arguing that this should become the norm.
• Expert stakeholder insights: Experts from academia, industry, civil society, and policy highlighted systemic gaps in the current digital ecosystem. For example, stakeholders from academia underscored the need for longitudinal research into the long-term effects of the digital transformation on children. Industry representatives pointed to inconsistent regulatory requirements across EU Member States, which hinder the development of uniform safety measures. Civil society participants stressed the importance of cross-sector collaboration to ensure that interventions are inclusive and actionable. Policymakers identified the need for stronger alignment between national and EU-level strategies to address emerging risks effectively.

The report makes several recommendations, including:

• Improving reporting mechanisms: Simplify and standardise processes for reporting harmful content across platforms. Examples include creating more child-friendly reporting processes and interfaces, offering step-by-step tutorials for younger users, and ensuring timely and detailed feedback after a report is filed. In particular, concerning vulnerable groups, current features for reporting harmful content were considered to be too complex or time-consuming.
• Enhancing digital education: Implement comprehensive and age-appropriate digital literacy programmes as integral curricular elements in schools. For example, lessons on media literacy can be integrated to help children discern credible information, teach privacy management skills such as setting strong passwords, and educate them on the responsible use of emerging technologies like artificial intelligence and AI-powered tools.
• Fostering youth participation: Create structured and more accessible channels for children to contribute to policy discussions and the development of digital services, tools and platforms. Examples could include establishing youth advisory boards for tech companies, or organising regular regional forums where children can directly engage with policymakers.
• Addressing expert-identified gaps: Act on the recommendations from expert stakeholders to strengthen the strategy’s impact. For example, invest in longitudinal studies to better understand the effects of digital engagement on children, harmonise regulatory frameworks across the EU to simplify industry compliance, and promote cross-sector partnerships to develop innovative solutions for online safety and inclusivity.

See the article on the BIK portal for further information and to access the full evaluation report.

Later in the spring, the report will be complemented by integrating outcomes from consultations with parents and caregivers, as well as teachers and educators across Europe. Rounding off this exercise will be a family-friendly short report and visual outputs, which will be launched successively. Keep an eye on the BIK portal, and the next edition of the BIK bulletin, for more news and updates on this important area of work.

Image credit: Better Internet for Kids

The new BIK Knowledge hub insights series provides information, evidence, and policy insights in digestible and topical articles. The most recent article places a spotlight on commercial exploitation through addictive design, with a focus on the importance of balancing respect for children’s rights alongside safeguarding their protection online.

The digital age has revolutionised the way children and young people engage with the world, offering unprecedented opportunities for learning, socialisation, and self-expression. Yet, the use of digital technologies can come with a high price to pay, with ‘the endless scroll’ and addictive algorithms on the rise.

The integration of addictive design features into digital platforms—such as endless scrolling, algorithmically-driven content feeds that are aimed at retaining users, and persuasive notifications—raises significant concerns about the impact on children’s mental health, well-being, and development.  

Research has highlighted the potential for these designs to foster excessive use, leading to issues such as sleep disruption, anxiety, and reduced attention spans. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has recognised the likelihood of serious harms associated with excessive screen time and gaming, classifying gaming disorder as a mental health condition in the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11). Furthermore, academic scholars warn about the risks to the right of free play and the European Parliament acknowledges the risk of commercialisation of childhood arising from the internet and addictive technology design.

Findings from a recent Better Internet for Kids research report developed in the context of the Europe-wide awareness campaign AdWiseOnline further substantiate these concerns. The report identifies prevalent manipulative digital marketing practices that have the potential to exploit children’s and young people’s cognitive and emotional vulnerabilities. Dark patterns, loot boxes, and gamified spending incentives, such as battle passes, are among the most insidious tactics designed to extend the time spent on mindless scrolling and encourage in-game purchases. Such mechanisms do not only fundamentally undermine children’s rights to free play (UNCRC Article 31) but also compromise their autonomy by nudging them into compulsive behaviours. The report furthermore highlights that existing research shows that children and young people frequently struggle to distinguish between organic content and advertising, which further exacerbates their vulnerability to commercial exploitation.

Read the full insight article on commercial exploitation through addictive design on the BIK portal, including observations on the role of regulation and collaboration to accelerate change.

Explore the growing repository of insight articles.

Image credit: Better Internet for Kids

It is clear that young people had an incredible impact, embracing various opportunities to make their voices heard in 2024. From contributing to awareness-raising campaigns and developing a new campaign mascot, to shaping the Safer Internet Forum (SIF) and evaluating the Better Internet for Kids (BIK+) strategy, young people also provided valuable insights on online safety at events such as European Youth Week, the Google Summit on Fighting Misinformation Online, and the Internet Governance Forum. For a full overview of youth involvement in 2024, be sure to check out the infographic. 

The momentum has carried into 2025 with a powerful kick-off at the annual flagship campaign on online safety, Safer Internet Day (SID). A total of 14 young people, aged 12 to 17, from 11 countries played a pivotal role in an online discussion on cyberbullying as part of the SID celebrations, organised by European Schoolnet on behalf of the European Commission. The young participants actively shared their perspectives, experiences, and challenges related to reporting cyberbullying on online platforms with a range of other stakeholders.

Two BIK Youth Ambassadors, Aisling from Ireland and Marta from Portugal, highlighted national policies and personal experiences, emphasising the urgency of addressing the complexities of reporting mechanisms. They stressed the importance of raising awareness and understanding the diverse perceptions of cyberbullying, illustrated through an interactive exercise with the audience. Within breakout sessions, youth participants voiced concerns over inaccessible, lengthy, and non-transparent reporting processes, advocating for more user-friendly and supportive systems. They also called for better education, greater platform accountability, and stronger collaboration between policymakers, authorities, and industry stakeholders.  

Following this event, another significant gathering took place on 19-20 March in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, bringing together Insafe and INHOPE stakeholders to exchange knowledge and expertise on key online safety issues. During this event, young people shared their views on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools for school, leisure, and content creation. The session was uniquely youth-led, featuring contributions from 10 young individuals, including the Dutch youth panel. Facilitated in an interactive format, the session included table discussions hosted by the youth and engaging 'speed meets' that encouraged conversations about digital media education, emerging trends, pressing issues, and effective youth participation. 

As 2025 progresses, we anticipate fruitful outcomes and continued success in youth involvement in decision-making processes related to online safety and media literacy. The dedication and insights of young people remain invaluable in shaping a safer, more inclusive digital future. 

Image credit: Better Internet for Kids/BIK Youth

In 2024, INHOPE’s network of EC co-funded hotlines responded to the highest volume of reports recorded to date, highlighting both the scale of the challenge and the vital role hotlines play in tackling online child sexual abuse material (CSAM). 

Over the course of the year, hotlines received 2.77 million reports of potentially illegal content. This significant increase was driven in large part by SafeNet Bulgaria, which detected massive volumes of CSAM hosted on Telegram’s telegra.ph platform during the second half of the year. 

Out of all reports received, over 1.47 million (53.1 per cent) were flagged as confirmed or suspected CSAM. These included: 

• 26,243 reports of self-generated content; 
• 17,493 reports of non-self-generated content; 
• 3,056 reports of sexualised posing or modelling; 
• 3,430 reports of computer-generated or virtual CSAM; and 
• 196 text-based CSAM reports. 

Hotlines also handled numerous reports relating to other harmful or illegal content, including: 

• 357 reports of child grooming; 
• 3,187 reports of hate speech; 
• 333 reports of sexual extortion (sextortion); and 
• 514 reports of sexual harassment. 

In addition, hotlines received over 641,000 reports of spam and more than 81,000 public queries, reflecting the broad spectrum of issues hotlines are called upon to address.

Read the full article on the BIK portal, which includes further information on the importance of strong action and cross-border coordination.

Find out more about country-based hotline services operating as part of national Safer Internet Centres. 

Find news updates on hotline services and other trending issues. 

Need help? Experiencing an issue online? Find sources of help and support here.

Building on the trends noted above, the INHOPE Expert Insights webinar series is back and will kick off on Thursday, 3 April 2025, with a further exploration of the INHOPE Annual Report 2024.

What is happening in child online safety? 2024 marked 25 years of INHOPE's commitment to fostering a digital world free from child sexual abuse material (CSAM). However, it was also a year marked by significant challenges, as hotlines experienced an unprecedented rise in CSAM reports. The INHOPE Annual Report 2024 offers insights from 55 hotlines worldwide, highlighting the scale of this alarming surge and the continuous efforts to combat it.

Join INHOPE colleagues for an exclusive presentation of 2024 data and trends, and learn how INHOPE strives to create a safer digital world for everyone.

Read more and register to attend via the INHOPE website.

Over the years, Safer Internet Day (SID) has become a landmark event in the online safety calendar. Its first edition took place in 2004 as part of the EU-funded SafeBorders project under the European Commission’s first Safer Internet Action Plan. It was subsequently taken up by the EU co-funded Insafe network of Safer Internet Centres as one of its earliest actions in 2005. The celebration grew steadily over its first few editions and, in response to growing global interest, the concept of Safer Internet Day Committees was introduced in 2009 to strengthen the bonds with countries outside of the European network and capitalise on the harmonised promotion of the campaign across the world. 

On Tuesday, 11 February 2025, we celebrated the 22nd edition of Safer Internet Day, with events and activities taking place right across the globe. With a theme, once again, of “Together for a better internet”, the day called upon all stakeholders to join together to make the internet a safer and better place for all, and especially for children and young people. The day was a great success, with celebrations spanning across all continents and, for the first time, for the whole month of February.

Highlights from this year’s Safer Internet Day include the brand new Safer Internet Day website and, more importantly, the new SID mascot Ally! Ally is fast, brave, well-equipped, and tech-savvy – a true companion for young people in the digital world. A new SID video was also produced to reflect these changes:

Click the image to view the new Safer Internet Day video on YouTube.

The celebration enjoyed widespread support from the EU institutions – including a press release from the European Commission, and dedicated video messages from Executive Vice-President Henna Virkkunen and Deputy Director-General of DG CONNECT Renate Nicolay, together with many other influential supporters who helped spread the word about SID online. Several articles about SID were also published in many news outlets and online magazines.

Find out more about SID celebrations worldwide on the BIK portal.

Find articles on SID celebrations across Europe here.

While Safer Internet Day 2025 might be just behind us, we are already looking forward to Safer Internet Day 2026! Building on the success of this year's extended edition, we already invite you to save the date for #SID2026, which will have a global day of focus on Tuesday, 10 February 2026, and with events and activities taking place across Europe and beyond throughout the whole month.

Stay tuned to future editions of the BIK bulletin for more news; campaigning activities will start in September 2025.

The Better Internet for Kids (BIK) review of the year 2024 was released to coincide with Safer Internet Day celebrations, in February 2025. The report provides an overview of a multitude of stakeholder efforts to both protect and empower children and young people in their digital lives over the past year.

Against a demanding backdrop featuring profound challenges and change, 2024 saw considerable progress in online safety and digital empowerment for youth. Some highlights include:

• The Digital Services Act (DSA) is now running at full speed, with European Safer Internet Centres providing valuable information to public authorities enforcing the DSA regarding risks to children and young people. Children and young people (and their parents and caregivers) will often turn to their national centre to report potential harms, to make complaints, and to access resources on internet safety. Utilising this feedback loop, Safer Internet Centres, therefore, support the enforcement of the DSA as a gateway to EU children and youth in direct connection with their day-to-day experiences and concerns. 
• In 2024, the first trusted flaggers under the DSA were appointed in some Member States, playing a crucial role in identifying and reporting illegal and harmful content directly to platforms for immediate action, ensuring that digital spaces remain safe and secure for all users. Several network helplines and hotlines have already been approved as trusted flaggers, with more set to follow in the coming months.
• Youth participation remains at the heart of the BIK initiative. BIK Youth Ambassadors, along with a wider group of children and young people, were consulted in the summer of 2024 for the first evaluation of the BIK+ strategy – the first results from this consultation are now out (see the focus article, above). They are also involved in the ongoing preparation of the DSA guidelines under Article 28, which will outline recommendations for online platforms to ensure privacy, safety, and security for minors, and took an active role in the 2024 edition of the Safer Internet Forum (SIF), while contributing to the development of a range of campaign activities and materials.
• Also, in 2024, the BIK platform underwent a major technical redevelopment. With a completely new appearance, it now offers a wider range of features, resources, and content, the scope of which will continue to be expanded over time. For example, the platform now includes a new parent and caregivers learning corner, supporting them in helping the children and young people in their care safely navigate the digital world and providing tips on parental control approaches. A further new section hosts a range of resources spotlighting age assurance approaches, including easy-to-read explainers to help raise awareness in family and educational settings, alongside resources aimed at digital service providers to help them check their own compliance.

Discover more by browsing through the full report on the BIK portal, while the infographic below provides some statistical highlights.

Image credit: Better Internet for Kids

In February, to mark Safer Internet Day celebrations, Austria's schools and youth organisations focused on the safe use of media and the internet. A wide range of creative projects were implemented covering a diverse range of topics, including sexual harassment on the internet, recognising fake news, intensive smartphone use, cyberbullying, and cost traps with in-app purchases.

Read the full article on the BIK portal.

As part of Safer Internet Day activities, Child Focus, the Belgian Safer Internet Centre, launched a campaign about the devastating effects of deep nudes on victims and raised the issue of this growing trend among young people. Deep nudes are realistic but partially or completely faked nude images or videos of a person, created by artificial intelligence (AI).

Read the full article on the BIK portal.

To further enhance digital security and provide faster access to reliable information, the Croatian Safer Internet Centre and A1 Hrvatska d.o.o., in collaboration with Delta Reality, have introduced #BOB (#BetterOnline Bot) – an AI assistant designed to offer online safety advice. This innovative tool was unveiled at the event The role of modern tools in child safety on Tuesday, 11 February 2025, in Zagreb, as part of Safer Internet Day celebrations.

Read the full article on the BIK portal.

While our digital footprint enables access to personalised services and content, it also poses risks to our privacy and security. So how can we protect our digital identity and minimise the risk of misuse? This was the focus of the Czech Safer Internet Centre's celebrations around Safer Internet Day 2025.

Read the full article on the BIK portal.

Have you received images or videos that you wish you hadn’t seen? Have you received violent videos on social media? Or have you received a nude image in a direct message (DM) or a group without asking for it? The Norwegian Safer Internet Centre explains how to report harmful content, the importance of reporting, and what happens as a result.   

Read the full article on the BIK portal.

"The internet is not a world we live in, but a tool we can use in the world we live in". A Safer Internet Day seminar in Portugal highlighted the urgent need to strengthen digital literacy. It highlighted the importance of equipping individuals with the necessary skills to navigate the digital world critically, ethically and responsibly. The event brought together a diverse audience, including educators, policymakers, researchers, young leaders and industry experts, to discuss the challenges and opportunities of digital citizenship.

Read the full article on the BIK portal.

Although digital technologies offer a world of opportunities and benefits for children and young people, it is important to understand the risks associated with them and how to best protect children and young people as young consumers online. Against this background, a CONNECT University webinar will take place on Friday, 11 April 2025, from 10:00-12:00 CEST, aiming to provide practical advice aimed at parents/caregivers, educators and the wider public on how to support and protect children when they are online and particularly as young consumers in the digital space.

Learn more about the European Commission's CONNECT University here.

Join the webinar here (with passcode #3973845).

Throughout this edition of the BIK bulletin, we have highlighted multiple pertinent issues, as well as some future priorities for continuing to implement the actions of the BIK+ strategy and associated measures during 2025 and beyond.

For example, under the new Commission (as reported in the last edition of the BIK bulletin), the protection and empowerment of children will remain a priority. Efforts will include ensuring a better internet for children with an EU-wide inquiry into the impacts of social media on well-being, an action plan against cyberbullying, and monitoring of unethical techniques by platforms, such as addictive design. These are subjects to which the BIK initiative and the European network of Safer Internet Centres can strongly contribute, building on established - and extensive - experience and competence.

The focus on the action plan against cyberbullying will be particularly important since this issue has consistently been the main reason for children to contact Safer Internet Centre helplines in the last five years. There are already solid good practices in the network to tackle cyberbullying, which has the potential to inspire Member States and be leveraged at the EU level.

Also, in 2025, the EU will continue the ongoing enforcement of the Digital Services Act and will deliver guidelines for all online platforms to ensure a high level of privacy, safety, and security for young users.

Additionally, the European Commission, along with Member States, will continue working towards a European approach to age verification, developing a secure, privacy-preserving, and interoperable age verification solution in 2025, in preparation for the EU Digital Wallet’s availability by the end of 2026.

Stay tuned to the BIK portal and future editions of the BIK bulletin for updates on these topics and more in our continuing mission to support children and young people in becoming empowered and responsible digital users. The next edition of the BIK bulletin will be published at the end of June 2025.