Safer Internet Day 2022 – Raising Digital Awareness to Protect Children

Safer Internet Day 2022

In its 19th year as an annual initiative, the Safer Internet campaign, first backed by the EU SafeBorders project in 2004. Since progressed by the Insafe Network, it is an important day in any social calendar. Celebrated in more than 170 countries worldwide, Safer Internet Day (February 8th 2022) aims to help children stay safe. With each year that’s passed since its creation, the organisation has grown from strength to strength. They’ve produced more resources, reaching extended media outlets and schools, meanwhile producing annual reports that reflect on the positive work they have done as an organisation to combat digital issues children face.

What Happened Last Year During Safer Internet 2021?

The statistics highlighting the importance of Safer Internet Day speak for themselves, with 51% of UK children aged 8-17 hearing about the event and 38% of adults. It had nearly 2.5 million views of its films raising awareness about its key goal last year. Focusing on the ‘subject of misinformation online’. Each year, including last year’s successes, they approach important issues such as cyberbullying, protecting digital identity and ensuring the safety of social networking.

More than 1.5 million resources were downloaded online, the SaferInternetDay hashtag trended on social platforms throughout the day and a huge media reach of 125 million people through the likes of the BBC, ITV and Sky News. The extensive research into the event with a survey of over 2,000 young people found that:

• 59% of young people are aware they have a responsibility to report potentially damaging, harmful or misleading content online, but overall are more likely to block misleading content (21%) than report it (16%)
• 62% of young people have had friend requests from people they don’t know
• 48% of young people are seeing misleading content every day, with more than one in 10 seeing it more than six times a day – often leaving them feeling annoyed, upset, sad, angry, attacked or scared

How Do They Raise Awareness to Protect Children Worldwide?

Supported by organisations such as Childnet International, the Internet Watch Foundation and partially financed by the Connecting Europe Facility of the European Union, the UK Safer Internet Cente produces a year-round effort from all concerned parties plus thousands of volunteers and funding to create and run this event. As you can see from the statistics above, the Safer Internet event continues to grow and help children with each year. Creating online quizzes and other fun interactive resources gets youngsters involved to develop their understanding of digital platforms, using them safely and wisely. Other resources included activity sheets and pre-recorded assemblies for schools during the Covid-19 pandemic remotely online during 2021 in the UK.

What’s the Plan for the 2022 Event?

For 2022, the Safer Internet Centre wants to celebrate the role young people have in creating a safer internet. The theme is ‘All Fun and Games? Exploring Respect and Relationships Online’. There are a host of resources for schools, parents and children that can be downloaded here. There is a range of downloads – tips for young readers, posters, quizzes and films to raise awareness and address growing issues for children using digital platforms. Considering the access they have to screens and the internet, both at home and in schools or with friends, creating a safe platform for children to use the internet safely is more important than ever as their usage increases.

The Safer Internet Centre rounds off their initiative with a key message:

We need to address these issues (bullying, swearing, negative behaviour, collective ganging up on other groups – particularly LGBT+ users, and misogyny on gaming platforms) so that all young people understand what constitutes respectful behaviour online, and know what to do if they encounter hate or bullying directed at them or someone else.