Helplines

 

Within the European network of Safer Internet Centres, helplines provide information, advice and assistance to children, young people and parents on how to deal with harmful content, harmful contact (such as grooming), harmful conduct (such as cyberbullying or sexting), and contract issues (commercial factors or where the young person is a consumer).

Helplines can increasingly be accessed via a variety of means – telephone, email, web forms, and online chat services, and many offer anonymous services.

On this page, you'll find a selection of articles corresponding to the work of helplines.

To find contact details for your national helpline, visit your Safer Internet Centre profile page.

2023-10-24 media literacy/education BIK Team

The Insafe network meets to discuss the Digital Services Act (DSA) and AI at the Insafe Training meeting

Today, another edition of the bi-annual Insafe Training meeting kicks off. The event is an opportunity for the Insafe network of European Safer Internet Centres (SICs) to meet to facilitate the sharing of experience and good practices between network countries, to explore areas of common ground, and opportunities for closer working between awareness raising, helpline, and youth participation strands. The October 2023 Insafe Training meeting is held online, and includes three mornings of sessions on exploring the opportunities and challenges posed by Artificial Intelligence (AI).

2023-09-28 cyberbullying, gaming, media literacy/education, potentially harmful content, technical settings BIK Team

Latest helpline trends: Quarter 2, 2023

The Insafe network of helplines collects data about the types of calls received and this is analysed every three months in order to look at possible trends and emerging issues. Since April 2023, helplines have been using an updated set of categories to log contacts against. The new categories were agreed upon following extensive consultation and discussion with the helpline network. The work was led by a helpline working group who spent considerable time determining the changes that needed to be made. 

2023-06-30 hate speech, media literacy/education, potentially harmful content BIK Team

Responding to online risks to children and young people in vulnerable groups

The new European strategy for a Better Internet for Kids (BIK+ strategy), adopted in May 2022, emphasises the need to pay careful attention to children with special or specific needs, or from disadvantaged and vulnerable backgrounds. In the new strategy, the European Commission sets out clear priorities for young people with a range of vulnerabilities, with the overarching aim to ensure that no one is left behind, and that all children and young people have a voice when it comes to matters in the digital sphere.

2023-06-29 cyberbullying, hate speech, media literacy/education, potentially harmful content, sextortion BIK Team

Latest helpline trends: Quarter 1, 2023

The Insafe network of helplines collects data about the types of calls they receive and this is analysed every three months in order to look at possible trends and emerging issues.

2023-06-22 media literacy/education BIK Team

In the spotlight: Safer Internet Centre Latvia and Lithuania

As part of the Better Internet for Kids (BIK) Quality Assurance Programme (QAP), the Insafe-INHOPE Coordination Teams are jointly conducting a set of fourteen country visits to national Safer Internet Centres (SICs) to better understand what is happening in the Member States: monitoring emerging issues and challenges, identifying good practices to be shared, and harvesting the results of the Better Internet for Kids (BIK) policy. On 20-21 February 2023, an online cluster meeting with the Latvian and Lithuanian SICs was organised by the Insafe-INHOPE Coordination Team.

2023-06-20 cyberbullying, grooming, love, relationships, sexuality (online), sextortion INHOPE

Improving safeguards for vulnerable youth online

Every child using the internet deserves a safe experience and easy access to online safety and protection resources. An estimated 240 million children worldwide (one in every ten children) live with disabilities, according to data released by UNICEF. Out of these, more than 120 million children are active online. Unfortunately, the existing digital safeguards, educational resources and reporting systems were not designed to appropriately support and protect those with disabilities. 

2023-06-16 media literacy/education BIK Team

In the spotlight: Safer Internet Centre Portugal and Spain

As part of the Better Internet for Kids (BIK) Quality Assurance Programme (QAP), the Insafe-INHOPE Coordination Teams are jointly conducting a set of fourteen country visits to national Safer Internet Centres (SICs) to better understand what is happening in the Member States: monitoring emerging issues and challenges, identifying good practices to be shared, and harvesting the results of the Better Internet for Kids (BIK) policy. On 30-31 March 2023, an online cluster meeting with the Portuguese and Spanish SICs was organised by the Insafe-INHOPE Coordination Team. 

2023-06-13 media literacy/education, online reputation BIK Team

In the spotlight: Safer Internet Centre Bulgaria and Romania

As part of the Better Internet for Kids (BIK) Quality Assurance Programme (QAP), the Insafe-INHOPE Coordination Teams are jointly conducting a set of fourteen country visits to national Safer Internet Centres (SICs) to better understand what is happening in the Member States: monitoring emerging issues and challenges, identifying good practices to be shared, and harvesting the results of the Better Internet for Kids (BIK) policy. On 9-10 March 2023, an in-person cluster meeting with the Bulgarian and Romanian SICs was organised by the Insafe-INHOPE Coordination Team.  

2023-05-11 media literacy/education BIK Team

One year of BIK+

Exactly one year ago, on 11 May 2022, the European Commission adopted a new European strategy for a Better Internet for Kids (BIK+), to improve age-appropriate digital services and to ensure that every child is protected, empowered and respected online. Let’s take a look at further policy developments that have happened over the course of the past year. 

2023-04-19 media literacy/education BIK Team

The Insafe network meets to discuss vulnerable users at the Insafe Training meeting

Today, another edition of the bi-annual Insafe Training meeting kicks off. The two-day event is an opportunity for the Insafe network of European Safer Internet Centres (SICs) to meet in person to facilitate the sharing of experience and good practices between network countries, to explore areas of common ground, and opportunities for closer working between awareness raising, helpline, and youth participation strands. The April 2023 Insafe Training meeting is held face-to-face in Vienna, Austria.

Want to find out more about Safer Internet Centre (SIC) services and resources in your country?

Check out your SIC profile page to connect with national resources and sources of support, providing awareness raising, helpline, hotline and youth participation services.

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