Policy frameworks

Norway has addressed the European Strategy for a Better Internet for Children (BIK) in a range of different national public policies on BIK-related issues. An important overarching policy framework is the Digitalization Strategy for Basic Education 2017-2021 which outlines government strategy for the development of the potential of digitisation for societal benefit. The Act relating to protection of minors against harmful audiovisual programmes covers keys areas of tools and regulation for a safer online environment while various sections of the Penal Code prohibit possession and distribution of pictures of child sexual abuse, or depictions sexualising children, i.e. individuals who are or appear to be under 18.

Policy design

Policy design is distributed across four to six ministries. BIK-related policies are managed and coordinated at government level. The Norwegian Media Authority (NMA), under the Ministry of Culture, is the national coordinator on BIK-related policies. The Ministry of Culture also coordinates other ministries with support on BIK-related policies, i.e. the Ministry of Education; the Ministry of Culture; the Ministry of Children, Equality and Social Inclusion and the Ministry of Justice and Public Security. Regular data collection to support BIK-related policy is included within the National Survey on Children and Media, carried out by The Norwegian Media Authority every two years. Findings from studies such as EU Kids Online and Children and Media 2014 and 2016 has contributed to policy on digital bullying and the establishment of an Ombudsman on Bullying.

Policy actors

Government ministries take the lead in carrying activities in relation to BIK on education and digital literacy, and legislation and law enforcement responses to online child sexual abuse. The Safer Internet Centre (SIC) is the primary agency for awareness-raising activities and contributes to educational resources and tools and regulation for an online safe environment. There are no specific arrangements for youth participation in BIK-related policy design. However, the SIC has access to different existing youth and children's panels including that of the NMA which has a strong focus on protection of children from harmful content, and recruits a new youth panel and a children's panel every autumn, while the Cross My Heart helpline runs its own youth panel (called an expert panel).

Breadth of activities
Breadth of activities outlines progress made in Member States delivering initiatives at the national level. Using the full range of recommendations contained in the BIK strategy, the following tables highlight which actions are supported and whether they have increased, stayed the same or decreased in prominence in the last three years for each of the BIK pillars.