Safer Internet Day

What is Safer Internet Day?

Safer Internet Day is a globally celebrated event held every year to promote positive internet use and raise awareness about online safety for children and young people. It began as part of the EU SafeBorders project in 2004 and was then taken up by the Insafe network in 2005. Since then it has grown far beyond Europe and is now celebrated worldwide as a key moment in the online safety calendar.

The day takes place across social media platforms, schools, and communities everywhere, the use of hashtags helps promote the movement about staying safe and responsible online.

When is Safer Internet Day?

It is celebrated on the second Tuesday of February every year, this year it falls on the 10th of February.

What is this year’s theme?

This year’s theme for Safer Internet Day is “Smart tech, safe choices – Exploring the safe and responsible use of AI”.

What is the objective of Safer Internet Day?

The objective of Safer Internet Day is to promote internet safety, but to also hear feedback from children on how we can create a safer internet environment and how they use the internet. Every year, questions are raised to try and figure out how to make a positive change. The questions that are being asked this year are:

• How will changing technology like generative AI affect how scammers and hackers operate online?
• How are generative AI tools changing the way young people create, learn and communicate, and what risks come with that?
• How can people tell when content has been created or altered by AI, and why does that matter?
• How is generative AI shaping young people’s online experiences, for better and for worse?

These questions can help to create conversations that shape the way we talk about online issues and the ways we react to them. Safer Internet Day says they want these questions to promote the safe, responsible and positive use of digital technology for children and young people. 

Ways in which teachers can teach their students about how to stay safe online

Having lessons on Safer Internet Day as well as internet safety all year round is a start on how teachers can show their students how to stay safe online.

Let the students have a voice! Ensuring that you ask students questions and listen to their answers is an excellent way to find out how they stay safe online, let them be ambitious, listen to their issues and help them to find solutions. 

Make sure students are educated about AI and online privacy, including how personal information can be collected, stored or reused by AI tools. Discussions around keeping usernames, passwords and personal details private are just as important when using AI-powered apps, chatbots and platforms. Students should also be encouraged to question the accuracy of AI-generated content and understand that not everything they see or read online is real or trustworthy. Using curriculum appropriate, school approved resources and videos can help bring these topics to life and support students in developing the skills they need to use AI safely and responsibly.

Previous Safer Internet Days

Safer Internet Day 2022

In 2022, Safer Internet Day was celebrated on the 8th of February with the theme being ‘All fun and games? Exploring respect and relationships offline’

The survey conducted then found some interesting results:

• 48% of young people say if they couldn’t game online anymore, they would feel like they’ve lost a part of who they are
• Playing games online has helped 61% of young people spend more time with friends virtually than they have done in real life
• 52% of young people who play online games say it’s taught them to respect others
• 61% of parents (with children aged 8-17) have been alerted to a new person within an online game that their child is unsure about

(Statistics from the Safer Internet Website)

Safer Internet Day 2014

The Safer Internet Day in 2014 was celebrated on the 11th of February with the theme being ‘Let’s create a better internet together’ That year a survey was taken in which 21,566 young people aged 7-19 responded to some questions. 40% of them had created an app, website, game or blog. Multiple other questions were asked to investigate the creativity and use of technology among young people.

The difference in topics in 2014 and 2022 shows how different the themes can be and that the objective is different each year. With this year’s theme, we hope you enjoy the Safer Internet Day and that you can get some valuable information across to your students this year.