Greek Safer Internet Centre
LocationAbout the organisation
The Greek Safer Internet Centre (SIC) has the ultimate goal of promoting safer, responsible, and better use of the internet and mobile technologies among children and young people, interacting with all stakeholders to bridge the digital divide between home and school, and between generations. It was launched in July 2016 under the auspices of the Foundation for Research and Technology - Hellas and, in particular, the Institute of Computer Science. FORTH is one of the largest research centres in Greece with well-organised facilities, highly qualified personnel, a reputation as a top-level research institution worldwide, and a great impact on Greek society.
Profile last updated: March 2023
Awareness centre
Description:
Saferinternet4kids.gr aims to create public awareness and provide reliable information to minors and their parents about the proper and safe use of online technologies. The awareness centre also provides supportive material to educators and social workers, in order for them to become multipliers of awareness messages within the classroom and beyond.
Email address: contact@saferinternet4kids.gr
Website: http://saferinternet4kids.gr
Social media:
https://www.facebook.com/SaferInternet4Kids.gr/
https://twitter.com/SaferInt4Kids
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyoFGbZi2XQnxwwI9C0A4KQ
https://www.linkedin.com/company/greek-safer-internet-center/
https://www.instagram.com/saferinternet4kids_gr/
https://www.tiktok.com/@saferinternet4kids
Helpline
Description:
The Helpline of the Greek Safer Internet Centre (SIC), 210 6007686, operates on working days from 9:00 to 17:00. It offers support via telephone, email, and chat in cases of harmful content and conduct, such as excessive internet use, bullying, or exposure to inappropriate online content. It primarily addresses minors, parents, and educators, but can also be consulted by the general public, industry, government, and public services.
Email address: info@help-line.gr
Website: http://www.help-line.gr
Social media:
https://www.facebook.com/help-linegr-163983246830/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9SHxgyHaY7flSH_Ih1BUCA
https://www.tiktok.com/@helplinesaferinternet
Hotline
Description:
SafeLine.gr is the hotline for reporting illegal content and conduct on the internet. SafeLine's primary concern is the elimination of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) from the internet and the fight against illegal content in general. SafeLine collaborates with internet service providers (ISPs), the Greek Research and Technology Network, the Greek School Network, and the Greek police in order to restrict the flow of illegal online content and have it removed.
Email address: contact@safeline.gr
Website: http://www.safeline.gr
Social media:
https://www.facebook.com/Safeline-161410338270/
https://twitter.com/safeline_gr
http://www.youtube.com/user/SafeLineGr
Youth participation
Description:
The Greek Youth Panel is an important initiative for involving young people in the effort to promote safer and more responsible use of the internet. It is composed of 20 members from different educational levels, including elementary school, gymnasium and lyceum.
The members of the Youth Panel participate in events organised at a pan-European level, which provide them with a broader perspective on the issue of internet safety and enable them to exchange ideas with young people from other countries. Also, they meet online every two months, setting out the policy they will follow in order to raise awareness among their peers.
More information can be found at https://saferinternet4kids.gr/category/youth-area/.
Key successes
The Greek Safer Internet Centre (SIC) engages in a series of actions to raise awareness and provide information about internet safety for children, young people, parents, and educators. Its main achievements can be summarised as follows:
- 1.6Μ users and 9.7M pageviews on SaferInternet4Kids.gr.
- 39,000 followers on Facebook and 14,000 followers on Twitter. Presence on Instagram, TikTok and LinkedIn.
- 17,000 students, 4,000 educators and 3,000 parents are being educated almost every year.
- Comprehensive surveys targeting students, educators and parents to gain a deeper understanding.
- The realisation of Panhellenic student competitions with great reach on a yearly basis.
Awareness and empowerment efforts include the creation and provision of educational material that can be used in the classroom or at home with the primary goal of adopting good practices of internet use while promoting the positive aspects of technology. Informative educational materials have already been created for people with special needs and children with special educational needs. All our informative videos are used as educational material in classrooms all over the country. In addition, many of the videos created by the centre were included in the ERT educational television platform, on which many educators and parents rely to inform their children. Furthermore, the safe internet use handbooks developed by the SIC have been incorporated into the Skills 21+ platform by the Ministry of Education. This allows educators to access approved materials and utilise the handbooks as an additional resource in their teaching.
Key partners/supporters
The Greek Safer Internet Centre (SIC) has several key supporters working together to promote a safer and more responsible use of the internet in the country. Some of the key supporters of the Greek Safer Internet Centre are the following:
- Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs
- Ministry of Digital Governance
- ENISA
- Greek Police (Cybercrime Unit)
- Industry partners such as Google, Facebook, Instagram, Viber, Twitter
- Panhellenic School Network
- Hellenic data protection Authority
- School of Law of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
- Experimental Psychology Laboratory of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
- School of Law of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
- Department of Information Communication Systems of the University of the Aegean
- Research Center Democritus
- Youth Office of the Archdiocese of Athens
- UNICEF
- Umbrella
- Central Union of Municipalities
- ISPs, NGOs, Consumers' Unions, etc.
The Greek SIC brings all relevant stakeholders together into a single united body, the Advisory Board of the Centre, that meets up once a year, while engaging jointly in a variety of other activities throughout the year. The Advisory Board acts as an open communication channel transferring to key national organisations news from the EC and the European networks, and injecting best practices and the highlights of the European scenery related to a safer internet. Complementary, the Advisory Board acts as an information exchange body, promoting dialogue and helping carry the message of safer internet through all major stakeholders in Greece.