Explore a safer connected world for children and young people

Looking back on the European Commission’s online event for Safer Internet Day 2021

Lili Leißer, BIK Youth Ambassador

Lili Leißer, Better Internet for Kids (BIK) Youth Ambassador and Youth Coordinator at the Austrian Safer Internet Centre, took part in the online event organised by the European Commission on Safer Internet Day, on Tuesday, 9 February 2021. In this article, she reflects on the progress accomplished in the framework of the Youth Pledge.

Celebrating Safer Internet Day in times of social distancing

Safer Internet Day Team

Safer Internet Day (SID) is getting close. On Tuesday, 9 February 2021, SID will take place across the world, once again with a theme of “Together for a better internet”. While we recognise that celebrations may look different for this edition as we all adapt to COVID-19 constraints, there are still many ways for you to get involved in Safer Internet Day, even from the comfort of your own home!

Latvian Helpline 116111 launches app to help children in crisis situation

Latvian Safer Internet Centre

Latvian Helpline 116111 has released an app to make psychological assistance more accessible to children. This free app, created by the State Inspectorate for Protection of Children’s rights, was intended for children and adolescents to receive psychological assistance when facing online breaches. 

Preventing the negative impact of influencers on children and teenagers

Maltese Safer Internet Centre

As the popularity and success of paid social media influencers increases, their followers often not only want what the influencers have, but also to be them.

You are what you like? The influence of online algorithms

Irish Safer Internet Centre

Have you noticed that when you go online or login to social media you are presented with content, news, articles or ads that somehow know the things that you are interested in? It makes sense that you will see updates from people or organisations that you follow, but what may be less obvious are the algorithms (complex mathematical formulas) working in the background which determine what content is presented in your newsfeed or search results. 

Myth v Reality – The Full Picture

Irish Safer Internet Centre

Social media is a fantastic way to connect and share with others. One of the great things about social media is we can decide what photos, posts, videos we share and as a result, many of us present an idealistic version of ourselves. It’s a great way of sharing parts of our lives with others – posting images and captions that we want others to see. But we are less likely to share the parts we don’t want others to see, or possibly think they wouldn’t be interested in. While social media has many benefits, it can be a place where we feel pressure to live up to certain standards, or which can instill self-doubt when we see images or the lifestyles of others.