Safer Internet Day 2013 in Denmark: Digital worlds - digital dilemmas

Safer Internet Day is celebrated for the 10th time in Denmark this year! And this calls for a joint national effort reaching out to address young people’s digital rights and responsibilities with offline and online activities for young people and adults. 

We are connecting with respect all over Denmark in all of week 6!  

Week 6: National campaign - Drop bullying now!

Digital media have become a core player in contemporary bullying patterns. In the past year these new aspects of bullying have been particularly evident in Denmark with a number of bullying stories emerging from the online world to the public media with young people coming forward telling their stories.  These stories address key aspects of young people’s rights as well as their new responsibilities as actors in a digital social life. 

In all of week 6, key organizations in Denmark have come together to address digital bullying via online and offline activities for children, youth, professionals and parents.

The activities will be launched on the campaign website "Stop Bullying Now" on 28th January at. 12.00 www.facebook.com/dropmobnu.

This Safer Internet Day campaign, which will be led by the parliamentarian Trine Bramsen, includes, besides the Danish Safer Internet Centre’s activities, events and initiatives from PEEPERS DENMARK/PUP, Dansk Energi, Skolelederforeningen, Danske Skoleelever (DSE), LMS – Landsforeningen mod spiseforstyrrelser og selvskade, kidsandmedia dk, FOA, Google, MovieStarPlanet, PsykiatriFonden, Ventilen Danmark, Mobbeland.dk / AMOK / Antimobbekonsulenterne, Net-mobning.dk.

5th of February: Digilemma 2013 – Tool box with inspiration for the development of media policies 

On Safer Internet Day on 5th February 2013 the Danish Safer Internet Centre takes point of departure in the specific issues and dilemmas arising from the interaction between digital media and children's culture in the school and in leisure institution. A hand-picked group of professionals are invited to discuss and evaluate the dilemmas and issues collected through two surveys among teachers and afterschool carers. The aim is to gather knowledge about the challenges that digital media they face in their work with children and young people. 

Safer Internet Centre Denmark is developing a toolkit for Danish schools, leisure institutions and municipalities with inspirational material to create digital media guidelines and policies for professionals working with children and young people. Knowledge and results of Safer Internet Day 2013 will be included as part of the research phase of this project.

See the latest updates for Safer Internet Day 2013 in Denmark here: www.sikkertinternet.dk

'What online rights and responsibilities means to us...'

… on Safer Internet Day 2013…

Growing up with digital media means to set your mind for an open borderless network, to habituate yourself with new forms of collaborative and interactive learning.  We need to support these new ways of learning and interaction with life situations and people. But when teachers want to use the new exciting digital opportunities in the class room they move into a grey zone of rights and responsibilities.  Are they for example responsible only for the social interactions taking place in the school yard, or does this responsibility extend to the social interactions taking place on Facebook? And what are their rights if they use private profiles to create online groups for their students? 

It is all very confusing and the easiest and immediate answer could be to block access and to maintain the clear boundaries between the school and the social digital environment. But it is not the most feasible answer. Because how do we equip students of today with 21st Century skills and competences if we maintain the boundaries of the 20th Century? How do we keep their interest and support a different, but not less valid mindset?

The rights and responsibilities of citizens today are not as clearly defined as they were 20 years ago. Most often they are not regulated by law or policies in a clear and univocal manner and thus the urgent need for a shared understanding and open discussion about our rights and responsibilities is of outmost importance. We can support this by bringing the “troll out of the box” – with exchange of experiences, inspiration and dialogue in order to create a confident 21st century teacher, student and citizen.