Positive Online Content awareness month comes to an end

September is almost over, which means that another edition of the Positive Online Content Campaign (POCC) is wrapping up. Various activities took place throughout the month to raise awareness about the importance of positive online content for children, and to encourage a fruitful discussion among industry, content and services producers, parents, carers and teachers, and youth to encourage the production of more positive, playful, safe online experiences for children.

Since the last POCC awareness campaign in September 2019, the landscape has significantly changed with transformations such as the new European strategy for a better internet for kids (BIK+) released in May 2022, and new ways of framing online activities for younger children. This edition of the campaign focused on investigating how positive online content concepts need to evolve and adapt in the future focusing on the development of more advanced technology (especially with regards to online gaming, virtual and augmented reality (VR and AR), AI and playful-by-design concepts), while also taking into account developments in legislation (such as GDPR).  

Additionally, more than two years on from the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, it was relevant to also assess its impact on the digital lives of children and young people. As many young children were ‘forced’ to spend increased amounts of time online to continue education and social activities while in lockdown, it was important to explore how this – as well as other emergency situations such as wars and conflicts – affected industry and content producers/providers and the services offered, and how this might affect service provision in the future. 

Discover more about the Positive Online Content Campaign on the Better Internet for Kids (BIK) platform.