Swedish Safer Internet Centre

Location

Stockholm

Website

https://mediemyndigheten.se/english/

About the organisation

Sweden's Safer Internet Centre, SIC Sweden, is operated by the government agency Mediemyndigheten (Swedish Agency for the Media) together with the NGOs Bris (helpline) and ECPAT Sweden (hotline).

SIC Sweden’s overall goal is to increase children’s online safety.

The Swedish Safer Internet Centre aims to strengthen the implementation of the BIK+ strategy in Sweden.

Profile last updated: March 2024

Awareness Centre

Description:

The awareness centre works preventively, by providing knowledge and information to professionals and guardians.

An awareness centre, focusing on generating knowledge on online risks and equipping children and youth with know-how and attitudes for greater resilience. The centre disseminates knowledge, resources and tools through different intermediaries, working directly or indirectly with minors, such as parents, teachers and librarians.

Helpline

Description:

The national helpline for children is a general helpline offering information and support to children within a range of issues, including online-related questions and concerns. Support is provided via phone (116 111), email and chat. The helpline is open 24/7 and is staffed by professional counsellors. There is also a helpline for adults who have questions and concerns about children.

Both helplines are operated by Bris (Children's Rights in Society), an independent NGO aiming to strengthen the rights of the child through support to children and parents; mobilising the society and advocacy work.

Website: https://www.bris.se/languages/

Hotline

Description:

The hotline for tackling child sexual exploitation and abuse material (CSEM/CSAM) works by receiving, analysing, and processing reports of such material. The hotline is operated in close cooperation with the Swedish National Police. Through the hotline, the public can report suspected child sexual exploitation and abuse. Such materials can also be removed.

The hotline is operated by ECPAT Sweden, an independent NGO and children’s rights organisation working to combat child sexual exploitation.

Website: https://ecpat.se/aboutecpatsweden/

Youth participation

Description:

Children and young people are involved in the work of SIC Sweden in different ways, for example as informants and youth panellists.

The Swedish Safer Internet Centres Youth Panel consist of 13 youth representatives from a wide range of youth organisations and organisations engaged in online safety. The panel exchange their ideas, current work and challenges with each other and with the Awareness Centre. The aim for the panel is to:

  • make youth influence the work of the Swedish Safer Internet Centre,
  • to spread the insights of the youth representatives, and
  • to create activities together.

An activity planned for 2024 is a seminar during Safer Internet Centres National Summit Conference the 25th of October.

An interview with two youth panelists (in Swedish) is found here: https://mediemyndigheten.se/nyhetsrum/nyhetslista/2023/skolan-maste-prata-om-hur-vi-ska-bete-oss-pa-natet/ 

Website: https://www.almedalsveckan.info/english

Key partners/supporters

Since 2018, the Awareness Centre has coordinated the national effort towards strengthened media and information literacy (MIL) in Sweden. This task consists of leading a multistakeholder network, MIL Sweden, and carrying out a yearly mapping of policy development and implementation initiatives. Currently, the network consists of 24 authorities and organisations working with media- and information literacy.