Safer Internet Day 2023: Making the Internet Better, Safer for Children

The Internet is an incredible tool that has revolutionized the way we communicate, access information, and connect with others.

Today, more than 5 billion people use the internet, providing them with a seemingly unlimited repository of knowledge and the ability to communicate with anyone in mere seconds.

However, with its incredible benefits also come significant risks, and the internet has become a dangerous place for many. This calls for more measures to make virtual spaces more secure.

Today Is Safer Internet Day

Safer Internet Day, observed on Feb. 7 each year, is a day dedicated to growing awareness about the significance of online safety.

This year marks the event's 20th anniversary, which has evolved from an EU initiative to a worldwide celebration involving millions of people from over 180 countries and territories.

This year's theme is "Together for a Better Internet," which encourages all stakeholders to work together to make the internet a safer and better place for everyone, especially children and young people.

Safer Internet for Children

In 2019, NCES reports that 95% of children aged 3-18 had access to the internet at home, with 88% having access through a computer and 6% relying on a smartphone.

Children view social media networking sites as being very "cool," and they may feel pressure from their friends to sign up for them. Cyberbullying, privacy invasion, identity theft, and other risks are things young people online should be aware of as well as these other threats.

According to data from IWF, there has been a 360% increase in self-generated abusive images since March 2020, which coincided with this increase in children's Internet usage and online abuse and exploitation.

This highlights the urgent need for industry and government to take steps to create accountability and be proactive in addressing online abuse.

This year's Safer Internet Day will reflect on the new European strategy for a better internet for kids (BIK+), adopted in May 2022. The strategy aims to ensure the digital participation, empowerment, and protection of young users and lays the foundation for the internet we want to shape for the future.

The recently adopted Digital Services Act package and the Declaration on European Digital Rights and Principles further emphasize the importance of creating safer, better, and more empowering online experiences for everyone.

"In all our work, we strive to ensure that children's rights apply online, as they do offline," says Dubravka Šuica of the European Commission."We work with children and adolescents to develop their digital and media literacy skills, ensuring that they are fully and equally included in the digital transition in the EU and globally."

Tech companies are also introducing more ways to keep the Internet safe for everyone in honor of Safer Internet Day. For instance, Meta debuted its first-ever pan-European co-design challenge, the EU Youth Design Jam.

Safer Internet Day is an opportunity for everyone to come together and work towards creating a safer and better internet for all. Check out this link to learn more about the initiative.

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