Safer Internet Day

European Commission

Young people and children are today amongst the biggest user groups of online and mobile technologies in Europe.  The Safer Internet Programme aims at empowering and protecting children and young people online by awareness raising initiatives and by fighting illegal and harmful online content and conduct.

Behaviours such as bullying and grooming are of our immediate interest, but also a domain that we work on.

The Safer Internet Programme was set up in 1999 and it has evolved over the years, taking into account the latest technological developments and their impact on young people's lives.
 

To empower and  protect children online, the Safer Internet Programme:

• pruduces policy on how to make the Internet safer of Europe's children

• finances a great variety of projects, all aimed at creating a safer online environment for young people, including the INSAFE network;

• supports Safer Internet Day

• organizes the Safer Internet Forum (Latest report 2011) 

• orders Eurobarometer surveys to investigate European public opinion on topics related to internet safety for young people

• co-operates at international level with other organizations active in the filed of child safety (OECD, IGF, Council of Europe, INTERPOL, ITU)

• promotes and supports industry self-regulation
  

Latest example of self regulation:

Coalition of top tech & media companies to make internet better place for our kids

At the end of 2011, 28 leading companies formed a new cooperative voluntary Coalition to make a better and safer internet for children. The Coalition grew from a call by Vice President Kroes to the ICT sector to step up actions responding to the challenges posed by how young European new go online. Coalition members have agreed a Statement of Purpose committing to take action in five areas:

• Simple and robust reporting tools

• Age-appropriate privacy settings

• Wider use of content classification

• Wider availability and use of parental control

• Effective takedown of child abuse material

There are deadlines and performance indicators for each of the five areas and the Coalition will review its work in the summer of 2012.

Founig members include handset manufacturers, operating system providers, Internet Service Providers, briadcasters, social networks and mobile operators.

This initiative builds on existing agreements, also brokered by the European Commission, such as the Safer Social Network Principles, European Framework for Safer Mobile Use and the Pan-European Games Information (PEGI).

For more information: http://ec.europa.eu/saferinternet                    

Message by Neelie Kroes on the occasion of the Safer Internet Day