* Please note – resource listings are being added to regularly, so please check back often for the latest information *
Positive content and well-being at home
- Gamevlog contest. Many youngsters spend part of their free time in front of a screen, and certainly even more often than usual during the COVID-19 pandemic. They do it to stay in touch with friends, watch movies, or play video games. How about combining this gaming hobby with an educational activity? In this contest organised by Child Focus, youngsters are asked to create a video where they express their views on online gaming. The goal is to convey a message; not to film themselves playing their favourite game. They can talk about clichés linked to gaming (gaming is a guy thing, you're asocial if you play video games...), the opportunities and the advantages of gaming, risks that they can encounter online, and so on.
- Friend Zone, a digital escape game which stays available during the lockdown. This digital escape game, aimed at young people aged 14 to 18 years, presents them a series of digital and social challenges. The scenario is fully in line with young people's world and raises questions about sexting, fake news, new technologies, privacy and hacking. The game is also an opportunity to gain knowledge in digital skills and media literacy. It is available on the cloud and can be played by organisations in Belgium or abroad.
How to respond to online risks under the COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 - Keeping children happy and safe online. We are living in unprecedented times. As schools close and people are confined to their homes due to the global coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, we are using the internet and online services more now than perhaps ever before. Being online is providing a lifeline for everyone in society from the young to the old, learners and workers, and the vulnerable, curious and those seeking an escape from boredom. This is probably, therefore, a good time to remind ourselves of a few key points to keep safe online.
- eSafety training programme for parents. Child Focus' eSafety training programme for parents stays online as thematic e-learning modules during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is a toolbox to help parents manage screens and online devices at home. Safely Online is a joint initiative from Gezinsbond and Child Focus. It has five interactive modules with parenting tips and testimonials from children, adolescents, parents and experts. The modules focus on social media, privacy, cyberbullying, gaming and love, emotions and relationships online.
The Belgian Safer Internet Centre also provides helpline services allowing children and young people, and parents and carers to access personalised advice and support. Equally, it provides a hotline for reporting any illegal content you mind find online. Don't hesitate to contact them in case of need!
In addition, we'll be bringing you a range of articles and insights on the opportunities and challenges of being online during COVID-19 in the coming days and weeks. Keep checking the Better Internet for Kids (BIK) portal and follow our social channels on Twitter (@Insafenetwork and @SafeInternetDay) and Facebook (@SaferInternet and @SaferInternetDay) for the latest news, information, advice and resources from the Insafe network and from other stakeholder organisations on staying safe online during the coronavirus pandemic.