| |  | | | | | 09/2022 | | | | | | Better Internet for Kids bulletin Your quarterly update on creating a safer and better internet | | | | | | | | | | | | | Editorial | | | | Welcome to the 31st 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, policy makers or experts in the field. We have a variety of updates for you this month... Our spotlight article provides a roundup of our recent Roundtable on child and youth consumer protection in digital markets. This online multistakeholder event considered the main risks online for children and young people as consumers, and how child and youth protection in digital markets in Europe is being addressed through existing and planned regulation. The event discussed social media advertising which is directed at children, manipulative marketing techniques integrated into video games and the gamification of marketing, the lack of transparency related to the use of virtual currency on social media and in online games, and the exploitive use of children's data. We'll also be bringing you a fuller report from the Roundtable in the next edition of the BIK bulletin. Also in this edition, it's your last call to register for this year's youth-led Safer Internet Forum, we bring you news on the recent Positive Online Content awareness campaign, and invite you to save the date for Safer Internet Day 2023. And as the weather turns distinctly autumnal for many, we reflect back on the last days of summer and bring you a range of Back2School resources from Safer Internet Centres across Europe. If you have any comments on this resource or would like to contribute to a future edition of the BIK bulletin, please contact us. | | | | | | | | In the spotlight | | | | Roundtable on children and young people as consumers online | | On Thursday, 22 September 2022, Better Internet for Kids (BIK) organised a Roundtable on child and youth consumer protection in digital markets on behalf of DG Communications Networks, Content and Technology (CONNECT) and DG Justice and Consumers (JUST) of the European Commission. The event took place online. The Roundtable event was organised both with the New Consumer Agenda in mind, which was published in 2020 and the new European strategy for a better internet for kids (BIK+), which was published in May this year. The New Consumer Agenda acknowledges the requirement to address specific consumer needs and the needs of children and young people who are exposed to misleading and aggressive commercial practices online. It also stresses the importance of investing more in lifelong consumer education and awareness raising for people at all stages of life from school onwards. BIK+ aims to complement and support the practical implementation of the existing measures to protect children online, develop young people's digital skills, and empower them to safely enjoy and shape their life online. The Roundtable started with a welcome by Dr Hans Martens, European Schoolnet/Better Internet for Kids, followed by a video address from Commissioner Didier Reynders, European Commissioner for Justice, in which both set the scene for the discussions of the day. Commissioner Reynders spoke about the Commission's continuous efforts on consumer protection and stated that all social media platforms are required to play by the EU's rules. The Commission has close links with industry and works closely with companies and other stakeholders to ensure that consumer rights are respected and protected. Examples include TikTok's commitment to the European Commission to align its practices with the EU rules on advertising and consumer protection, and Amazon's commitment to bring its cancellation practices in line with EU consumer rules. After the Commissioner's address, both June Lowery-Kingston, Head of Unit, Accessibility, Multilingualism & Safer Internet, DG CONNECT and Marie-Paule Benassi, Head of Unit, Consumer Enforcement & Redress, DG JUST, welcomed everyone to the Roundtable. Consumer risks for children and young people online The first session of the day was led by Prof Dr Eva Lievens, Associate Professor of Law & Technology at Ghent University. She talked about the type of consumer risks children and young people are exposed to and the regulatory responses that are being put in place. During her talk, she explored the online habits of young people and the New Consumer Agenda, including the topics of loot boxes, influencer marketing, and the techniques of dark patterns. The topic of loot boxes, especially, was widely discussed among the participants. Prof Lievens explained that loot boxes are in-game content that generally includes random items that have relevance in the game (for example weapons, skins, game currency or advancement options). They present a particular risk, however, because they typically encourage gamers to spend more money within the game. That's why she advocates that paid random content (such as loot boxes) should be clearly disclosed to the consumer, including an explanation of the probabilities of receiving a particular item. Prof Lievens concluded her session by emphasising the need to seek the views of children and young people while working towards a better internet. Access Prof Lievens' presentation slides here. Social media The next session focused on social media, moderated by Karl Hopwood from European Schoolnet/Better Internet for Kids. The panel consisted of Prof Dr Simone van der Hof, Professor of Law & Digital Technologies at Leiden University, David Martin from the European Consumer Organisation (BEUC), and Andrea Parola from the ICT Coalition for Children Online. One of the topics discussed by the panel was the role of platforms versus the role of parents while making sure children and young people have a pleasant and safe online experience. Both David Martin and Prof van der Hof advocated during the session that children should have the right to autonomy. The audience also contributed to the discussion on the role of parents in the digital lives of their children. One of the participants wrote in the chat "We should not ask children, parents or teachers to hold the responsibility for badly designed systems". The discussion also focused on age verification methods. Although tech companies are providing additional safety features for children and young people, many of these are reliant on knowing that the user is a child. There is plenty of research that highlights the fact that children are lying about their age when signing up to use social media platforms and this means that many of the safety features will not be applied as the platform believes them to be an adult. Some panellists felt strongly that users were being forced to provide a different age in order to be able to use a particular platform. If platforms are aware that children are using their services, then they should assume that the user is a child at the outset and plan accordingly. Gaming platforms The last public session was on the topic of gaming platforms. Dr Valerie Verdoodt, Postdoctoral Researcher in Law & Technology at Ghent University, moderated the session. In preparation for the Roundtable, a 'conversation starter' article by Dr Verdoodt was published on the Better Internet for Kids (BIK) platform discussing How to address consumer risks for children on social media and in gaming. Read the article here. The session started with a video presentation by Celia Hodent, a game UX consultant with a PhD in Psychology. She talked about the positive impacts of gaming such as on intelligence, as well as the ethics around gaming. View Celia's full video presentation here. This was then followed by a panel discussion between Belgian game streamer Abulic, who shared his personal experiences, Finn Lützow-Holm Myrstad from Forbrukerrådet – the Norwegian Consumer Council, who talked about the experience of consumers with gaming, and Catherine Garcia-van Hoogstraten, Director of Digital Safety at Microsoft, who shared experiences of creating games from the organisational perspective. Once more, the topic of loot boxes was widely discussed by the panel and the participants of the Roundtable. The game streamer Abulic shared his experience with loot boxes and gave some insights into how companies can influence and manipulate gamers while playing. Finn Lützow-Holm Myrstad agreed that there should be rules around loot boxes, as they can have a big influence on gamers. The session ended by discussing the proposed age-appropriate design code for social media and gaming platforms, which is referenced in the BIK+ strategy. Collaborating across Europe The Roundtable concluded with a closed session for Safer Internet Centre and European Consumer Centre representatives. First, a brief overview was given of the two networks and the work that they are doing respectively to protect children and young people online from unfair commercial practices. This was then followed by breakout room discussions on the topics of gaming, influencer marketing, social media platforms, and scams and subscription traps. Representatives from Safer Internet Centres and European Consumer Centres discussed potential areas of future collaboration on these topics. Next steps This Roundtable on child and youth consumer protection in digital markets is just the start of the discussion. Through the new BIK+ strategy and other instruments, the European Commission will seek to work with a range of stakeholders to address consumer risks for children and young people online, and will continue to foster closer collaboration between European Consumer Centres and Safer Internet Centres in this regard. For more information about the network of Safer Internet Centres, visit the Better Internet for Kids (BIK) website. To learn more about European Consumer Centres, visit the website of the European Commission. A fuller report from the Roundtable will be available later in the year and child and youth consumer protection in digital markets will be given a further focus in the December 2022 edition of the BIK bulletin. Subscribe to the BIK bulletin to ensure that you receive it directly to your inbox. Get involved in ongoing discussions If you'd like to be part of the ongoing discussions around protecting, empowering and respecting children and young people in the digital world, join us online at the 2022 edition of the Safer Internet Forum. See the next item in this bulletin for more information and registration details. | | | | | | | | Register now | | | | 
Time is running out to register for this year's Safer Internet Forum which will take place in a hybrid format on Thursday, 27 October 2022 with a theme of A Digital Decade for children and youth: BIK+ to protect, empower and respect! In May 2022, the European Commission published its new European strategy for a better internet for kids (BIK+). The updated BIK+ strategy is the digital arm of the rights of the child strategy and reflects the recently proposed digital principle that 'Children and young people should be protected and empowered online'. It takes into account the European Parliament Resolution on children's rights, the Council Conclusions on media literacy, and the Council Recommendation establishing a European Child Guarantee. This year's Safer Internet Forum will provide an opportunity to discuss the strategy in detail, identifying its key objectives and priority actions. It will explore the roles and responsibilities for public and private stakeholders, along with how to monitor its impact and effectiveness. To mark the European Year of Youth, 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. 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. Hurry – registration is set to close on Friday, 14 October 2022. Safer Internet Forum (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. Image credit: Better Internet for Kids | | | | | | | | Empowering youth | | | | Safer Internet Forum 2022 – shaped by youth! | | Children and young people have always been at the core of Better Internet for Kids (BIK) activities. This year, marking the European Year of Youth initiative, #DigitalDecade4YOUth consultation, and the launch of the BIK+ strategy, Better Internet for Kids aims to encourage youth participation and involve young people in shaping and leading BIK's key annual conference – the Safer Internet Forum. The 2022 edition of the Safer Internet Forum (SIF) will be organised in a youth-led manner, with young people playing an active role in the planning, preparation and delivery of the Forum. In preparation for this event, a Safer Internet Forum (SIF) Youth Advisory Group 2022 has been convened comprising ten young people from various European countries. Members have participated in preparatory meetings aimed at sharing their respective views on the three main pillars of the new BIK+ strategy and further contributed to the development of the Forum's agenda. More specifically, the Youth Advisory Group is focusing on the following topics: - Safe digital experiences to protect children from harmful and illegal content, conduct, contact and consumer risks, and to improve their well-being online through a safe, age-appropriate digital environment, created in a way that respects children's best interests.
- Digital empowerment so children acquire the necessary skills and competencies to make sound choices and express themselves in the online environment safely and responsibly.
- Active participation, respecting children by giving them a say in the digital environment, with more child-led activities to foster innovative and creative safe digital experiences.
Find out more about the SIF Youth Advisory Group and meet its members. Moreover, the 14th edition of the Better Internet for Kids (BIK) Youth Panel is approaching and will culminate at Safer Internet Forum 2022 as well. In the days preceding this year's Forum (25 and 26 October), a group of 20 young people involved with national Safer Internet Centres from across Europe will represent the voices of youth on online safety, digital literacy, and internet governance issues. Since the beginning of September, through a series of online meetings, participants have been actively preparing their session by sharing their respective perspectives on better and safer internet issues with their peers, agreeing on key themes, and preparing awareness materials – in particular videos – on these topics. Be sure to register for the Safer Internet Forum to witness youth's contributions to the key event in the field of online safety (see the above item in this bulletin to find out more and register to participate online). For more information about youth participation and the Safer Internet Forum generally, please visit the Better Internet for Kids website. To learn more about the BIK Youth Panel 2022 and SIF Youth Advisory Group 2022, please keep an eye on the BIK Youth minisite and Twitter profile. | | | | | | | | Insafe helplines | | | | Helplines help young people tackle e-crime | | 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 2022. During this period, several helplines reported a rise in the percentage of contacts which were categorised as e-crime which is defined as identity theft, fraud, data theft, copyright infringement, hacking, piracy, and so on. For example, the helpline in Cyprus reported that almost half of its contacts related to hacking incidents with particular reference to compromised passwords and illegal access to social media accounts. Similarly, the Spanish helpline noted that there was a significant increase in calls related to stolen and hacked accounts on platforms such as Instagram and Discord, as well as online games. In all cases, helplines were able to provide advice, guidance and support on securing accounts and preventing similar problems from occurring in the future. Read more on the latest Insafe helpline statistics on the Better Internet for Kids (BIK) portal. | | | | | | | | INHOPE hotlines | | | | The INHOPE Summit 2022: "Talk about it" | | On 20-21 September 2022, INHOPE (the International Association of Internet Hotlines) held its fifth annual summit with a theme of "Talk about it". Multistakeholder collaboration is the key ingredient of the INHOPE network. With this unique event, INHOPE aspired to create a space for stakeholders across different sectors to discuss challenges, talk about opportunities, and examine potential initiatives and approaches to collectively combat child sexual abuse material (CSAM) online. The summit consisted of different formats, from a series of presentations concerning why and how we need to communicate about CSAM, to panel discussions addressing the role of industry… not just from a digital platform perspective, but through the lens of the legal and financial sector too. An interview format provided a deep dive into TikTok's trust and safety approaches, while breakout sessions facilitated conversations about the role of each sector – gaming, finance, tech and tourism – in collectively advancing the fight against CSAM; a topic that, outside of the trust and safety space, is not discussed enough. Read the full recap of the INHOPE Summit 2022 on the Better Internet for Kids (BIK) portal. | | | | | | | | Goodbye summer; hello Back2School! | | | | Summertime fun with DigiRallye | | The purpose of the DigiRallye is to show children how media and technology can be used safely and responsibly, and at the same time, make sure that it is fun! The 12th edition took place on 27 July 2022 at the Campus Geesseknäppchen in Luxembourg. 80 children aged 8 to 12 from various day-care centres, and their educators, took part in the event. The Luxembourgish Safer Internet Centre was present; the BEE SECURE team from the National Youth Service (Service national de la jeunesse, SNJ) were in charge of several stands. One stand enabled participants to actively consider the security of passwords. Another stand encouraged children to test the veracity of the videos they were shown. The objective was to draw their attention to the fake images that circulate on the internet today. Also, the 'Kanner schwätzen' workshop gave children the opportunity to discuss their initial experiences on the internet. Read the full article on the Better Internet for Kids (BIK) portal. | | | | | | | | | Goodbye, summer! A unique event for Ukrainian children in Lithuania | | On one of the last days of summer, 30 August 2022, hundreds of Ukrainian children – who have found a new home in Vilnius as a result of the conflict – gathered for a picnic in the open air. Called "Goodbye, summer!" (in Lithuanian „Ate, vasara!" and in Ukrainian Пікнік "До побачення, літо!" Для дітей України), the day featured a variety of educational activities, as well as dancing, soap bubble blowing, mastering of tricks, tasting delicacies, and even an open-air cinema, all aimed at children, and their parents and guardians. Through this event, the organisers wanted to inspire children's confidence, faith and courage in welcoming the new school year. Moreover, they wanted to highlight the fact that Lithuania is a safe place for Ukrainian children, who are still unable to return to their war-ravaged homeland, to have a bright and peaceful childhood. The Lithuanian Safer Internet Centre was present at the event, showcasing its awareness-raising and helpline services. Association LANGAS I ATEITI invited young people to self-reflect on their behaviour on the internet, while Childline provided guidance on accessing sources of emotional support. Read the full article on the Better Internet for Kids (BIK) portal. | | | | | | | | | Back2School with BIK | | Safer Internet Centres across Europe have prepared a range of resources and initiatives as part of the traditional Back2School season. Read on for a roundup... Junkfluencer – how advertising on social networks influences children A new study by MedUni Vienna shows that children are far too often confronted with unhealthy foods on social media platforms such as TikTok and Instagram, and these usually go unnoticed. Here, the Austrian Safer Internet Centre delves into the topic of "junkfluencers". Read more... Media Education Forum 2022 focused on inclusive media education The Finnish Media Education Forum, organised annually by the National Audiovisual Institute (KAVI) (part of the Finnish Safer Internet Centre), celebrated its 10th anniversary. This year's forum was, for the first time ever, a hybrid event. Discussions focused on how to provide inclusive and accessible media education for everyone. Read more... New quiz for young people on in-game purchases Minecraft, Fortnite, Roblox – digital games are firmly anchored in the everyday media lives of children and young people. The selection of games is huge. Free-to-play games, in particular, are popular with adolescents. A look at the principle of in-game purchases, however, shows that free games can quickly become a cost trap. Discover more about the new resource from the German Safer Internet Centre. Read more... Back to school in Greece with a focus on misinformation and online gaming The new school year in Greece has kicked off with a campaign on misinformation and safe online gaming. Through lesson plans, quizzes, videos, posters, fairy tales and activity booklets, students of all ages are receiving online safety education which will help them to adopt a code of values to deal with the emerging risks of using technology. Read more... Latest BEE SECURE guide: Risks on the internet – prevent, identify and resist BEE SECURE, the Luxembourgish Safer Internet Centre, presents its latest guide, providing information and best practices on how to deal with possible risks on the internet. Read more... The internet: a "game" with inexhaustible resources It's once again time to back to school, a new school year which will also be increasingly digital. The digital resources, applications and platforms that students can access on the internet are an important asset to their academic and personal development, provided they are used conscientiously. The Portuguese Safer Internet Centre shares tips on how to start the new (digital) school year safely. Read more... Connect with your national Safer Internet Centre to find a wealth of content and services to support children and young people online, or search the Better Internet for Kids (BIK) resource gallery to find informative resources in a range of languages. | | | | | | | | Events and campaigns | | | | 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. | | | | | | | | | October is Cyber Security Month | | 
European Cybersecurity Month is turning 10! For the 10th consecutive year, the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA) is partnering with the European Commission and Member States in carrying out #CyberSecMonth throughout October: the EU's annual campaign dedicated to promoting cybersecurity among EU citizens and organisations, and providing up-to-date online security information through awareness-raising activities and sharing of good practices. This year's campaign will especially focus on phishing and ransomware – two issues that have especially come to the fore during pandemic times. With lives for all, whether young or old, increasingly shifting online, we all need to be alert to online risks and challenges. Find out more at cybersecuritymonth.eu, or follow the events on Twitter @CyberSecMonth using the #CyberSecMonth and #ThinkB4UClick hashtags. Image credit: European Cybersecurity Month | | | | | | | | | Preventing cyberbullying with KID_ACTIONS | | 
The KID_ACTIONS project, designed to prevent and respond to child and adolescent cyberbullying, is organising its second European Policy, Research and Practitioners Forum on Tuesday, 22 November 2022. The Forum will take place in a hybrid form, both onsite in Brussels, Belgium and online. This highly interactive public multistakeholder event will bring together key policymakers, researchers, industry partners and practitioners working on securing a safer and more empowering digital environment for children and young people. If you are interested in cyberbullying or work in the field to combat this issue, you are warmly invited to participate in #TogetherAgainstCyberbullying! Find out more and book your spot here. Additionally, following the launch of the KID_ACTIONS Educational Toolkit which aims to counter peer violence and discrimination among young people, the project has organised a series of webinars to give practical examples on how to use the Toolkit. Available in three languages: English, French and Italian, the Toolkit is aimed at formal and non-formal educators to be used with young people aged 11 to 19. It consists of 20 activities with three foci: to understand, prevent and respond to cyberbullying. Watch this video to learn more about the benefits of the KID_ACTIONS Educational Toolkit and the way to implement it in educational settings. Image credit: KID_ACTIONS | | | | | | | | Save the date | | | | Safer Internet Day 2023 is approaching | | The next edition of Safer Internet Day will take place on Tuesday, 7 February 2023, when we will again join "Together for a better internet".
Next year's edition will also mark the 20th anniversary of the celebration of Safer Internet Day, and special activities are being planned for the occasion. Save the date in your diaries now!
Campaigning activities will start soon, but keep checking the Safer Internet Day website – www.saferinternetday.org – for the latest news and updates. 
Image credit: Better Internet for Kids/Safer Internet Day | | | | | | Under the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF), the European Commission (EC) has co-funded 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 (BIK strategy) as published in 2012 and the updated BIK+ strategy published in May 2022, 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. In the future, actions will be funded through the Digital Europe Programme. 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 header of this email. The Better Internet for Kids (BIK) bulletin is compiled and issued by the BIK Coordination Team at European Schoolnet (EUN) on behalf of the European Commission. In case of comments or queries, please contact bulletin@betterinternetforkids.eu. The European Commission is committed to personal data protection. Any personal data is processed in line with the Regulation (EU) 2018/1725. Please read the BIK bulletin privacy statement. Visit www.betterinternetforkids.eu for the latest news and information on keeping children and young people safe online. ISSN 2600-5360, Catalogue number KK-BD-22-003-EN-N. | |  | |
