 | | | | | Welcome to the 27th 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'll 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, policy makers or experts in the field.
As we approach this year's edition of the Safer Internet Forum (SIF), taking place online next week, this edition of the BIK bulletin is dedicated to the theme of the event - how to make Europe's Digital Decade fit for children and young people.
Over recent months, we've been consulting with children and young people (and other stakeholders) to ensure that the digital world is fit for the future, and can allow everyone to benefit from all the opportunities it can offer. This important work will feed into policy work within Europe which will shape the next decade, and will inform a new Better Internet for Kids (BIK) Strategy, to be adopted in 2022.
Next week, on the eve of SIF, we will launch a report on the consultation activities to date, outlining children's and young people's views on opportunities and risks online, and their recommendations for policy in this area. In our focus article below, we bring you a preview of the report.
And, if you haven't already registered for the Safer Internet Forum, there is still time! Registration will close tomorrow, Friday 1 October (18:00 CEST) – find details below.
Equally, there's still time for YOU to have your say on the #DigitalDecade4YOUth. Our consultation work is ongoing with stakeholders who care for, educate, or can otherwise influence positive online opportunities and experiences for Europe's children and young people. Be sure to have you say – find the link to the survey below with is open for responses until Monday 11 October (18:00 CEST).
If you would like to forward this newsletter to a friend or a colleague, please do so using the link at the top of this message or encourage them to subscribe to receive future editions direct.
And, if you have any comments on this resource, or would like to contribute to a future edition of the BIK bulletin, please contact us. | | | | | | | | | |  | | | | | | | | | | | | About the Better Internet
for Kids Project | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Under the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF), the European Commission (EC) is co-funding a range of better/safer internet services, both at the European and the national level. Building on the European Strategy for a Better Internet for Children as published in 2012, the BIK core service platform aims to bring together European stakeholders in the field to work collaboratively in achieving the goal of a better internet for all. This bulletin is just one of a range of tools and services provided. Keep following us across all BIK communication channels - see links in the footer of this email. | | | | | |  | | | | | | CONSULTATION WITH CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE | | | | How to make Europe's Digital Decade fit for children and young people? | | | | | | | | | | | The European Commission aspires to put children's participation at the heart of EU policies and initiatives while ensuring that children in vulnerable situations also have their voices heard.
In March 2021, the European Commission published: - 2030 Digital Compass: the European way for the Digital Decade, which presents a vision, targets and avenues for a successful digital transformation of Europe by 2030. "EU rights and values are at the heart of the EU's human centred way on digital. They should be fully reflected in the online space as they are in the real world. This is why the Commission proposes to develop a framework of digital principles, such as access to high-quality connectivity, to sufficient digital skills, to public services, to fair and non-discriminatory online services – and more generally, to ensure that the same rights that apply offline can be fully exercised online".
- The EU Strategy on the Rights of the Child aims to better protect all children, to help them fulfil their rights and to place them right at the centre of EU policy making. This includes a commitment to make sure that European children and young people continue to be empowered and protected online.
Against this background, European Schoolnet consulted – from May to October 2021, on behalf of the European Commission, as part of the www.betterinternetforkids.eu initiative – children, young people, parents, carers and educators from across (and beyond) the European Union on the priorities they see to promote, protect, respect and fulfil children's rights in a digital world. What follows here is an Executive Summary of the resulting report. The full report consultation report will be published just ahead of the 2021 edition of the Safer Internet Forum (SIF), at a pre-event on the evening of Tuesday, 5 October 2021.
This year's edition of the Safer Internet Forum has been specifically organised with the purpose of giving the opportunity to a wider range of public and private stakeholders – including children and young people – to draw this consultation process to a close.
Results will contribute to the development of a set of digital principles for an interinstitutional declaration between the European Commission, the European Parliament and the Council to be published in late 2021, and to the new Better Internet for Kids (BIK) Strategy to be adopted in 2022.
More specifically: - European Schoolnet organised, from March to August 2021, the #DigitalDecade4YOUth consultation with support from the Insafe network of European Safer Internet Centres and a wider range of European online safety and child rights organisations. Over 70 consultation sessions were carried out, following recent guidance and experience on children's rights to be heard in the digital age. As such, the voices of more than 750 children and young people across Europe were heard in a structured and systematic way, setting a high standard on how to ensure meaningful child and youth participation in digital policy making.
- As part of a Better Internet for Kids MOOC (massive open online course) for teachers in April and May 2021, with a focus on Digital literacy and online safety: How the pandemic tested our skills, over 300 European teachers and educators were consulted on a similar range of questions.
- In addition, EU citizens – including parents and carers, teachers and educators, and wider stakeholders – have been invited to respond to an online campaign survey, based on the questions which children and young people were consulted on so that we can compare perspectives. This work is ongoing at the time of publication of the report and hence its findings are not referenced here.
This #DigitalDecade4YOUth consultation report underlines, once more, the importance of children's right to be heard in any decision-making process that affects them, as enshrined in Article 12 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC).
Our findings provide strong support for the need to more systematically embed the best interests of children and young people into the EU's digital ambitions for 2030 to ensure that the rights of children and young people which apply offline can also be fully exercised online.
One of the principles proposed in in the European Commission's 2030 Digital Compass Communication is Protecting and empowering children and young people in the online space. In subsequent policy work, this has been specified as follows: - The online environment should foster children's and young people's well-being and their participation as digital citizens.
- Children and young people should be equipped with digital literacy and the necessary skills and competences to navigate safely and responsibly online from an early age and throughout their education and training.
- Every child should be protected from harmful and illegal content, including from child sexual abuse and exploitation.
It is clear from the consultation sessions that children and young people have strong and specific opinions about the activities they like to do in the digital environment, what they find important, and what concerns they have. In addition, they have a clear vision about which issues need to be tackled as a priority and were able to form original and specific guidance and recommendations for various actors including, but not limited to, policy makers and digital operators, on how this should be done in practice.
As such, this report has the potential to help articulate what the European way for the digital society could entail in more concrete terms, building upon the needs, challenges and opportunities children, young people, teachers and educators see in the context of digitalisation.
The views and experiences of children and young people
The internet plays a crucial role in almost every aspect of children's and young people's lives. It allows them to stay connected with friends and family, it offers various opportunities for entertainment and to escape boredom, and presents an important source of information and learning. The consultation shows that, overall, children and young people have a good understanding of both the positive and negative aspects of the internet. They realise that the digital world – much like the offline world – will never be entirely safe.
When asked to voice their main concerns about the digital realm, most of the groups mentioned cyberbullying, closely followed by hateful and harmful content. They also consider fake news and disinformation to be an important threat, not only for minors, but perhaps even more so for older people. Privacy and data protection equally featured high on our respondents' risk list.
Across the different consultation groups, general concerns were raised about the lack of awareness among internet users (including not only children and young people, but also parents and other adults) about online risks and potential mitigation measures. Several consultation groups highlighted their concern specifically for younger children, who may be less experienced and more vulnerable. The respondents agreed that the environment a person lives in is very important, with an essential role to be played by parents.
There seems to be widespread agreement that the digital world provides a wealth of opportunities. Yet, respondents consider it not sufficiently inclusive and accessible for children and young people with disabilities. Explicit concerns were also raised about hateful and violent content online targeting children and young people in vulnerable and marginalised situations, with "being different" in any possible way seen as a risk factor often leading to harassment and rejection.
Key recommendations for policy makers and digital operators
The solutions and recommendations provided by children and young people demonstrate a holistic view on the responsibility for safeguarding and empowering them in the digital environment. To make the internet a better place, all relevant actors should take up their respective role and collaborate where possible.
It is significant to note that, in terms of the changes children and young people really want to see, participants largely decided to focus on the key online risks they had previously identified as part of the consultation exercise. - Participants found inappropriate content to be a priority for change because it is affecting society as a whole, desensitising citizens to hateful messages and behaviours.
- Cyberbullying was also seen as a priority for policy makers, because it has an impact on children's and young people's behaviour and self-esteem, ultimately leading to problems in all areas of life. Some participants felt that cyberbullying presents a massive challenge, particularly for younger children.
- Aside from these specific issues, some more overarching problems can be extracted from the discussions. According to participants, the root cause of many of the online risks and challenges lies in a lack of awareness and media literacy among internet users, the possibility to remain anonymous in the digital environment, and public attitudes online which should be changed towards decent communication and behaviour.
In response to this, participants insisted that different actors have to take up their share of responsibility, depending on the specific context and issue at stake: - As a general remark, policymakers should aim towards harmonisation at the EU level, as this could result in a better protection of minors from online risks and harmful media within the entire EU. They could think about introducing uniform age limits and improving monitoring at EU level.
- The message most often heard in the consultation sessions was the need for improved media literacy and online safety education for children and young people in schools, and that policy makers should make this happen. The participants believed that without knowing how to correctly use online tools, they are more vulnerable to risks and threats. The metaphor was used of being handed a complex tool without an instruction manual. Some respondents emphasised that schools and parents have to take their role more seriously than they do today.
- Aside from more media literacy education, several groups stressed that improved monitoring and enforcement of existing rules in the digital environment is necessary, with stricter penalties for those who misbehave online (such as those who harass, bully, or spread harmful content). Children and young people feel that when they report certain content or behaviour to social media platforms, no actions are effectively taken, which in turn discourages them to report or act against hate speech. They believe that if internet users and social networks do not face any consequences for bad online behaviour, not much will change.
- In addition, children and young people think that EU policy makers should exercise pressure on industry to provide safe and child-appropriate services and platforms. This entails finding ways to ensure that children's voices are heard, and offering settings and content according to age and category. This could include banning sexual or violent content, or better regulating access to certain content such as gambling, advertisements and spam.
- Last but not least, participants feel that technology can play an important role in making the internet a better place. Here, it was argued that EU policy makers should collaborate with internet companies or create the necessary incentives to ensure that companies, such as social media platforms, continue developing tools which are child-friendly.
The perspectives of European teachers and educators
As one might expect, the European teachers and educators involved in this consultation exercise largely echoed the education needs put forward by children and young people.
They call upon policy makers to substantially invest in national and international programmes which support education and awareness-raising efforts. For teachers, this is primarily about: - Making sure that media literacy, online safety and digital citizenship are part of the formal curriculum from an early age onwards.
- Ensuring that these topics are properly addressed in teacher training and professional development also.
- More actively reaching out to parents and carers so as to develop a shared understanding of what is going on in children's and young people's online lives, in turn making it possible to foster an ongoing whole-school dialogue.
- Taking an evidence-based approach and better assessing the results of existing education efforts.
Secondly, much reference was made (here again) to the need to have proper legal and regulatory frameworks and to make sure these rules are properly enforced and do not only exist on paper. The accountability of industry is something which respondents raised often. They should be forced (or, more positively, encouraged) to develop technological solutions and come up with age-appropriate standards and measures to keep their platforms and services safe.
Of course, this particular group of European teachers and educators do not represent the views of teachers in general as these are teachers who signed up to a Better Internet for Kids MOOC (massive open online course) and therefore are already committed to making a difference in this sphere. In fact, many of them talked about difficulties in getting their own colleagues on board, with reasons cited including that the curriculum is full, there is not sufficient awareness, many teachers lack the required knowledge, skills and confidence and it is difficult to keep up to date with the continuous flow of technological development.
It is noteworthy to add that even this group of open-minded and enthusiastic European teachers and educators had – in comparison with the children and young people we consulted – a rather narrow and protective view of children's rights in a digital world. For example, while many of our younger respondents talked passionately about online entertainment and gaming as important opportunities for positive and creative participation, teachers primarily framed these activities in relation to concerns about time spent online or minors accessing inappropriate services and content. When asked about protective measures, teachers typically argued that access should be restricted based on age. By contrast, children and young people themselves would rather point to the need for policy makers and industry to prevent negative things from happening in the online spaces they already inhabit, while equally providing more age-appropriate alternatives for them to engage with.
In many ways, these examples illustrate – in very concrete and practical ways – how the rights of children and young people to provision and participation are easily overlooked when minors are not sitting around the table when child online protection is being discussed.
To conclude, respondents of all ages and backgrounds acknowledged that the digital world is complex. In their collective view, it is difficult to say where exactly the responsibility sits because more often than not it is shared. In line with this, we hope the results of this consultation will therefore be an encouragement and source of inspiration for EU policy makers and other actors – including internet companies, parents, and educators – to continue to join forces to make the internet a better place for children and young people!
Image credits: August de Richelieu/Pexels | | | | | | | | | |  | | | | | | | | | SAFER INTERNET FORUM 2021 | | | | | | | | | | | This is your last chance to register for Safer Internet Forum (SIF) 2021 which will take place online next week, with a pre-event on the evening of Tuesday 5 October, and the main event taking place on Wednesday 6 and Thursday 7 October.
SIF is a key annual event where policy makers, 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.
During the pre-event, taking place from 17:00 – 18:30 CEST on Tuesday, the outcomes of the #DigitalDecade4YOUth consultation - as previewed in the focus article above - will be presented, followed by a youth-led discussion with the BIK Youth Panel 2021. Participants will then engage in more in-depth discussions in the form of break-out sessions looking at the topics which the youth have been discussing during their preparatory meetings.
Continuing the discussions on Wednesday and Thursday, the main Forum will explore how to make Europe's Digital Decade fit for children and young people. The event will also showcase key findings from the recent consultation work, amplifying the voices of children and young people to deliver a vision for a #DigitalDecade4YOUth. Discussions will highlight the priorities that different groups, including parents, carers and teachers, have identified in order to fulfil children's rights in a digital world, while allowing them to engage, create and contribute within safe, ethical and inclusive online spaces.
Additionally, a number of deep dive sessions will allow participants to explore key topics ranging from the youngest users and the opportunities and challenges that they face online, to new and emerging technologies, to positive online experiences and active youth participation, age-appropriate design and age assurance/verification, and the challenges around child sexual exploitation material (CSEM) and child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
Registration must close at 18:00 CEST on Friday 1 October – hurry and secure your spot now! | | | | | | | | | |  | | | | | | | | | Have your say on the #DigitalDecade4YOUth | | | | | | | | | | | What can be done to ensure that the digital world is fit for the future? And how can we ensure that we promote, protect, respect and fulfil the rights of all children and young people when they go online? Have YOUR say in the #DigitalDecade4YOUth consultation, running online until 11 October 2021.
As outlined throughout this edition of the BIK bulletin, consultation work to date has already gained insights from some 750 children and young people through 70 focus groups. We now wish to gather wider input from those stakeholders who care for, educate, or can otherwise influence positive online opportunities and experiences for Europe's children and young people. And that means YOU!
In the survey, we ask you a series of questions, based on the questions which children and young people responded to so that we can compare perspectives. We ask you to consider the opportunities and benefits which children and young people can gain from being online, the challenges and risks which they might face, and who you think is (or should be) responsible for improving online experiences. We also ask for your views on what policy makers need to do over the next decade to bring about change.
Alongside the responses already received from children and young people, your views are essential in shaping the ongoing work on digital principles within the EU, and for helping to give Europe's children and young people the best possible online experiences.
Hurry - the consultation closes at 18:00 CEST on Monday, 11 October 2021. Be sure to have your say! | | | | | | | | | |  | | | | | | INSAFE HELPLINES | | | | Contacts from parents continue to increase | | | | | | | | | | | The Insafe network of helplines collects data about the types of calls received and this is analysed every three months to look at trends, and new and emerging issues. The most recent helpline data covers the period from April to June 2021 and, unusually, saw a reduction in the number of calls when compared to the previous reporting period. During Q1 there were over 17,000 contacts made to helplines but only 15,733 during Q2. However, this is due in part to changes in the way that some helplines are collecting and reporting data.
Despite the lower number of contacts, data collected over time shows an upward trend in contacts since the start of 2019. As always, the main user group are teens (aged 12 to 18) who account for 58 per cent of all those who contact helplines. Not surprisingly, there are variations across the different helplines with over 95 per cent of contacts in Norway coming from teens, compared to only seven per cent in Greece. The percentage of parents contacting helplines has been increasing over the last three reporting periods whereas the percentage of teachers has been decreasing. There has also been a decrease in the percentage of social workers contacting helplines. Some helplines have commented that teachers, in particular, have had excessive workloads during the past year, being preoccupied with moving lessons and learning online, then reopening schools, while also dealing with the impact of COVID-19 on an ongoing basis.
Read more to discover how users are contacting helplines and the issues being addressed.
Image credits: Thomas Park/Unsplash | | | | | | | | | |  | | | | | | INHOPE HOTLINES | | | | Future-proofing technology | | | | | | | | | | | The EC's Digital Decade strategy has four strategic goals, and INHOPE's roadmap spans all of these objectives. INHOPE's vision is a world free of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) online, and the implementation of this strategy will support the INHOPE network in turning this vision into a reality. The strategy laid out by the European Commission compliments a number of the key pillars of the INHOPE 2022-2025 strategic development plan, specifically the 'Technology & Innovation' and 'Communication' pillars.
"Education and awareness are the most effective ways to promote and improve online safety"; a statement that the INHOPE network and wider online safety community have always agreed on. Children and young people are less likely to become victims if they are given the knowledge and tools to better understand the online world.
Many of us know about the current surge of self-generated sexually explicit content being reported to hotlines; we believe that with increased education we can reduce these cases and prevent further harm. Additionally, we must address the education of adults who need clarity on what is acceptable and legal, as well as what is unacceptable and illegal. Both adults and young people must know what to do when they come across illegal content and know how to report it. Education is therefore essential. Improving digital skills and literacy across the European Union is the first step needed to have a positive impact on online safety.
Read more to discover how INHOPE further plans to support the European Commission's aims of improving digital infrastructure, promoting digital transformations, and enhancing the digitalisation of public services through its ongoing work to fight CSAM.
Image credits: Julia M Cameron/Pexels | | | | | | | | | |  |  | | | | | BIK YOUTH | | | | | | |  | | | The BIK Youth Panel 2021 contributes to the #DigitalDecade4YOUth! | | | | | | | After a series of online meetings, members of the 2021 BIK Youth Panel are preparing to showcase their work during the pre-event session of the Safer Internet Forum (SIF) 2021, taking place on the eve of the main event.
In response to European Commission's initiative to develop a vision and avenues for Europe's digital transformation by 2030, the BIK Youth Panel have been contributing the #DigitalDecade4Youth consultation by discussing various aspects that will have an impact on the future of the internet.
Throughout September, through a series of online meetings, no less than 39 young people from across Europe have been actively preparing their session by sharing their respective perspectives on better and safer internet issues with their peers, particularly on such topics as the online school environment, social networks and advertising, and online society.
Even though the BIK Youth Panel preparatory meetings have taken place online this year, this change of format has not compromised the quality of the event nor the level of participation on the part of the youth panellists. In fact, in addition to very fruitful discussions, the young people - as well as the organisers - have had a lot of fun by introducing meeting themes such as 'your favourite rock star' and 'beach party'.
Having participated in numerous debates, the young people have had a chance to take on the role of policymakers, industry and citizens, and to provide their arguments regarding topics such as anonymity, data privacy, and online advertising.
The outcomes of the #DigitalDecade4YOUth consultation will be presented and followed by a youth-led discussion with the BIK Youth Panel 2021 at the SIF pre-event on Tuesday, 5 October 2021 from 17:00-18:30 CEST. Participants will then engage in more in-depth discussions in the form of break-out sessions looking at the topics which the youth have been discussing during the preparatory meetings.
The main Safer Internet Forum will then take place on the following days – Wednesday, 6 and Thursday, 7 October 2021 – where the discussions will continue, with BIK Youth Panellists continuing to give their input.
For more information about this session and about Safer Internet Forum generally, visit the Better Internet for Kids website.
To learn more about the BIK Youth Panel 2021 and their ongoing work, please keep an eye on the BIK Youth minisite and the BIK Youth Twitter profile. | | | | | |  |  | | | | | BACK TO SCHOOL WITH BIK | | | | | | |  | | | Are you ready to go back to school? | | | | | | | It's September once again, which means that teachers, pupils and students are saying goodbye to their summer holidays and getting ready for the new school year. To kick off the new academic year on the right foot, let's review the main tools, tips and resources that you can find on the Better Internet for Kids (BIK) portal to stay safe both online and off!
We know it's not easy when sun-basking and holiday fun ends to return to the classroom, so we'd like to highlight the opportunities that digital technologies present and remind everyone of the importance of good online safety practices.
The BIK resource gallery collects useful pedagogical resources designed by the Insafe network of European Safer Internet Centres (SICs) which are freely accessible.
Find out about the tips shared by the Insafe network and keep up-to-date with the latest news and initiatives about online safety with our practice articles.
Our guide to apps aims to provide key information about some of the most popular apps, social networking sites and other platforms which are commonly being used by children and young people (and adults) today.
Last but not least, learn more about the range of policy, strategy and governance initiatives that support the work of the BIK agenda. | | | | | |  |  | | | | | PROMOTING GOOD PRACTICES | | | | | | |  | | | What have Safer Internet Centres been up to over the summer? | | | | | | | What have the Insafe network of Safer Internet Centres (SICs) been up to since the last BIK bulletin? Discover some of the initiatives, projects, tools and tips developed by SICs around Europe.
While summertime is usually associated with the holidays, fun and rest, the Insafe network has continued its activities to empower children, young people, parents, carers and teachers with the skills, knowledge and strategies to stay safe online, and take advantage of the opportunities that the internet and mobile technologies provide.
For example, Save the Children Finland has recently published a report on online grooming for sexual purposes and outlines the experiences of 1,762 children aged 11 to 17, gathered in February and March 2021.
The Portuguese Safer Internet Centre has supported, in cooperation with the National Cyber Security Centre, the Cyber Security Challenge PT, an annual event giving national students the opportunity to upscale their skills in cyber security by providing a healthy space of learning, competition, student-to-student coaching, and mentorship. Learn more about this year's edition of the competition.
BEE SECURE, in the framework of the Luxembourgish Safer Internet Centre, has published new educational material on cyberbullying for young people aged 12 and over with intellectual disabilities.
Lastly, you can read more about how the Danish Safer Internet Centre continues to use youth involvement as a tool for national awareness raising during Youth Panels, and how it has encouraged adults to engage in young people's digital lives. | | | | | |  |  | | | | | TACKLING DISINFORMATION | | | | | | |  | | | Welcome to Facts4All - schools as community hubs against disinformation | | | | | | | The new role of (social) media requires a new approach to the teaching of social media literacy. Facts4All is a one-year project, co-funded by the European Commission's Media Literacy for All Programme project, which aims to increase awareness and critical thinking in relation to online disinformation across generations – in particular, young people and their (grand)parents.
The main project objective is to develop a massive open online course (MOOC) that enables primary and secondary schools to act as intergenerational learning hubs against disinformation through community engagement.
The MOOC will be based on intergenerational collaborative learning scenarios, leveraging existing tools and resources such as fact checkers, repositories, games, awareness materials etc., and employing participatory methods (open space technologies and co-design jams), to foster critical thinking and active citizenship across borders.
| | | |  |  | | | | | DATES FOR YOUR DIARY | | | | | | |  | | | October is European Cyber Security Month | | | | | | | The European Cybersecurity Month (ECSM) is the EU's annual campaign dedicated to promoting cybersecurity among citizens and organisations, and to providing up-to-date online security information through awareness raising and sharing of good practices.
Each year, for the entire month of October, hundreds of activities take place across Europe, including conferences, workshops, trainings, webinars, presentations and more, to promote digital security and cyber hygiene.
Find out more about what's happening, and get involved to ensure that you remain secure online. | | | | | | | | | | |  | | | Get set for Safer Internet Day 2022 | | | | | | | Now that the summer months are over, we're starting to ramp up activity for the next edition of Safer Internet Day (SID). SID 2022 will take place on Tuesday, 8 February 2022, when - once again - we'll join forces across the globe to work "Together for a better internet".
We'll start to update the home of all things SID - www.saferinternetday.org - in the coming weeks right through to the day itself, so check back regularly to see what might be happening near you. And stay tuned to future editions of the BIK bulletin for more, or like SID on Facebook and follow SID on Twitter for the latest news and updates. | | | | | | |
