The Insafe and INHOPE networks (the European network of Safer Internet Centres and the International Association of Internet Hotlines respectively), are celebrating Safer Internet Day (SID) for the tenth year running. Malta is represented on both Insafe and INHOPE through BeSmartOnline! which brings together various stakeholders working in the field, namely the Malta Communications Authority, Aġenzija Apoġġ and The Commissioner for Children. The project is also supported by Aġenzija Zgħazagħ, the Directorate for Educational Services, the Secretariat for Catholic Education (Church Schools), the Independent School Association, the Malta Police Force and the University of Malta.
Safer Internet Day is an initiative of the European Commission’s Safer Internet Programme, this day marks an annual opportunity to engage in making the Internet a safer and better place for our children and youths. The theme selected for this years’ edition of Safer Internet Day is Online rights and responsibilities with the slogan Connect with respect.
In Malta, the day will be marked through the launch of an initiative aimed at encouraging children attending the 6th year of primary school to spend some time on the Internet together with a grandparent or another mature individual who is a friend of the family and who is not conversant with ICT. This initiative has a twofold aim. Children, who are mostly tech savvy, will give grandparents an opportunity to observe and familiarise themselves with the Internet and some of its applications. Concurrently, the initiative is aimed at making children good online citizens that respect and include everyone on the Internet including adults and elderly people... Grandparents often play an important role in the upbringing of children and this initiative is expected to extend this relationship to the digital environment possibly making children share with grandparents their experience and knowledge on online safety issues they may encounter.
Dr Antonio Ghio, Chairman of the MCA and the Digital Champion for Malta said that “our children, the future of our country, have an important and active role to play today in achieving a fully inclusive digital society”. He added that his ultimate aim is “for grandparents to see children as their digital angels who are available to help them and to see this special relationship between the elderly and children grow stronger through on-line interaction”.
European Commission Vice-President Neelie Kroes, responsible for the Digital Agenda and for launching the strategy to make a better internet for children, recognises that the internet offers young people great opportunities – but that they need to be able to go online safely. In her video message for Safer Internet Day she says;
“Tomorrow's world, our economy and society, will be a digital one: and kids will have to play a full part in that. By encouraging creativity online, we can help kids make positive use of the internet. If we help children and young people develop their digital skills safely, they can make the most of the online world, with the abilities and tools to learn, participate, and have fun online.”
Speaking of the campaign, Janice Richardson, Insafe Coordinator said: "Over the years, Safer Internet Day has become a landmark event in the online safety calendar, and an action that has been taken up across the globe. With this year's theme of online rights and responsibilities, we aim to engage all stakeholder groups - children and young people, parents, carers and educators, and industry and the third sector - to raise awareness that we all have a shared responsibility to make the internet a safer, and better, place for all."
About BeSmartOnline!
The BeSmartOnline! project is funded through the European Commission’s Safer Internet Programme. The aim of the project is that of raising awareness on the risks associated with internet use by minors, provide support through a helpline, and provide a hotline through which the public can report illegal online content.
About Insafe and INHOPE
Under the framework of the European Commission's Safer Internet Programme, Insafe and INHOPE work together to deliver a safer internet, promoting safe, responsible use of the internet and mobile devices to children, young people and their families, and working to identify and remove illegal content online.
Find out more by visiting the Insafe and INHOPE joint portal at www.saferinternet.eu. Here you will find links to the various safer internet centre services, by country, along with news and events, and FAQs on safer internet issues.
Alternatively, you can visit the Insafe or INHOPE websites direct (Insafe: www.saferinternet.org and INHOPE:www.inhope.org).
About Safer Internet Day
Safer Internet Day is part of a global drive by awareness-raising partners to promote a safer and better internet for all users, especially young people. It is organised by Insafe and INHOPE in the framework of the European Commission’s Safer Internet Programme.
Since its first edition in 2004, interest in Safer Internet Day has grown tremendously to reach 6 of the world’s 7 continents in more than 100 countries worldwide; including all 27 countries of the European Union.
For further information, see www.saferinternetday.org.
To download the SID resources or to find out more about online and offline activities organised across Europe visit the Safer Internet Day website, a collaborative platform where more than 100 Safer Internet Day committees, international organisations and stakeholders have profile pages where they communicate about their SID actions.