Swedish Safer Internet Centre
LocationAbout the organisation
The Swedish Safer Internet Centre exists to promote a safer and better use of the internet and mobile technologies among children and young people.
Awareness centre
Description:
The foundation of the centre's awareness-raising work is in Media and Information Literacy (MIL). Safer Internet Centre Sweden (SIC SE) is working with the concept of MIL based on the UNESCO framework and definitions, with minor national adaptations. We believe that if you have the abilities that are included in the MIL concept, from which the initial results originate in the short term, this also improves the ability to make responsible use of online technologies and to protect yourself against detrimental media influences whatever the form of media or context. MIL is therefore considered as a tool to empower and protect.
The awareness centre develops awareness raising material, organises campaigns and information sessions based on MIL. The main target groups are teachers, librarians and other professionals working with children, but also parents and carers. The produced material includes research reports, teacher handbooks, lesson plans, discussion material, and so on. Some of them are available in English – see www.statensmedierad.se/Publikationer/Publications/.
Email address: martina.hogberg@statensmedierad.se
Website: https://www.statensmedierad.se
Social media:
https://www.facebook.com/medieradet
https://twitter.com/statensmedierad
https://www.youtube.com/user/Medieradet
Helpline
Description:
BRIS' participation in the project is dominated by, but not limited to, running a helpline. BRIS' support unit has a staff of 17 full-time counsellors. They all have wide experience in social work with children and young people, as well as counselling with adults about children. The support service at BRIS is provided, to a large extent, through digital channels: telephone, mail, chat, forum, and telephone service for adults. Counsellors have many conversations with children online, often also about online issues. A counsellor can always offer a child recurrent contact and practical support in a vulnerable situation, e.g. helping the child to an appropriate agency contact.
In 2015, BRIS started an Instagram account and the account has quickly received over 5,700 followers with good interaction – see https://instagram.com/bris116111/.
Alternative website: barnperspektivet.se
Email address: Info@bris.se
Website: http://bris.se
Social media:
https://www.facebook.com/BRIS
https://twitter.com/brispress
https://www.youtube.com/user/BRIS116111
Hotline
Description:
There is no hotline in the current project.
Youth participation
Description:
One aspect of youth participation is to give children the opportunity to express their views in matters affecting them. This can also be done without face-to-face meetings, but through quantitative research methods, as we do with our regular series of reports ‘Kids media'. This is Sweden's largest study where, altogether, 6,000 children between 9 and 18 years old were given the opportunity to express their voices.
It is important that the Council follows up the results in ‘Kids & media', voicing children and young people regarding their media use. Therefore, we have also initiated youth involvement in the following projects:
- A youth panel talking about their media use in a podcast (Statens mediepodd.
- A youth panel (11 to 12 year olds) to talk about their perception of a film (our film classification).
- Study on media-related conflicts in families – interviews with children and parents, resulting in a report.
- Study on detrimental effects of the media – interviews with children and parents, resulting in a report.
Key successes
The partners of the Swedish Safer Internet Centre (BRIS and the Swedish Media Council) complement one another when it comes to experience, areas of responsibility, target groups, networks and resources. We have been cooperating for ten years and our current collaboration builds on previous work, in close cooperation with partners and stakeholders, for an efficient deployment of safer internet services on a national basis.
Key partners/supporters
The national collaboration that the centre will have will mainly be connected to our activities. Examples of cooperation within the awareness-raising project include:
- The annual Media and Information Literacy Week (a prolonged celebration of Safer Internet Day) is done in collaboration with our Advisory Board and other relevant national actors.
- In connection with our MIL centre-project, we collaborate with the Swedish Library Association as well as with regional libraries.
- Working with our website, The MIL-room, we collaborate with the Swedish Consumer Agency and the Educational Public Broadcasting Company.
- Our project where we will train the personnel at the child welfare centres is carried out in collaboration with them.
- The project of gathering knowledge on the media use among children and young people with intellectual and cognitive disabilities is to be carried out in collaboration with researchers and actors who have knowledge and experience in this area, including the Swedish Agency for Participation, the Swedish Agency for Accessible Media, the Swedish National Agency for Education, the National Agency for Special Needs Education and Schools, the Swedish Agency for Youth and Civil Society and the Public Health Agency of Sweden.