National Safer Internet Day

Did you know that 1 in 3 young people across 30 countries said they have been a victim of online bullying?

‘National Safer Internet Day’ is about working towards creating a more inclusive and secure internet. The day was founded with the intention of encouraging conversation about what can be done to make the internet a safe, responsible and positive place for web users, particularly children and young people as their exposure increases with advances in technology. Maintaining privacy and control can often be a challenging task for parents.

The ‘UK Safer Internet Centre’ recently highlighted the following trends:

• Children are perceived as more vulnerable to online privacy threats than adults, due to their lack of digital skills or awareness of privacy risks

• Parents investment in new technology is growing, despite privacy concerns – this now includes smart home devices (e.g. Amazon Echo, Google Home)

There is a continuous growing concern about data and privacy as well as online harassment and abuse. This year’s theme is: An internet we trust: exploring reliability in the online world. The campaign focuses on how we can decide what to trust online, supporting young people to question, challenge and change the online world for the better. It will explore how influence, persuasion and manipulation can impact young people’s decisions, opinions and what they share online.

According to the UK Safer Internet Centre, did you know,

“As a result of their celebration of Safer Internet Day:

• 77% of young people said they felt more confident about what to do if they were worried about something online

• 78% said they know what to do if they, or someone they know, are targeted online because they are different in some way

• 19% said they spoke to someone about something that had been worrying them online.”

The UK Safer Internet Centre is aiming to create an internet where people are free to embrace difference, free to care, free to express yourself, free to ask for help and free to explore and investigate.

We invite everyone to join us, and Safer Internet Day supporters across the globe, to help create a better internet today, Tuesday, 9th February 2021 and throughout the whole year.