Irish Safer Internet Centre - Webwise Ireland

For Safer Internet Day (SID) 2023, Webwise and our Safer Internet Centre (SIC) partners will be promoting respect and inclusivity online. The campaign will explore how we can support young people to manage friendships and communications online, encourage youth participation, raise awareness of bullying and abuse online, and highlight the supports that are available. The dedicated Safer Internet Day Hub at www.webwise.ie/saferinternetday/ provides information, resources, and ideas about how to get involved.

Event - a special event will take place on Safer Internet Day 2023 which will provide a platform to hear youth views on the topic of bullying and abuse online; a panel discussion on promoting respectful and inclusive online friendships; interactive youth-led activities; and a showcase of Safer Internet Day 2023 activities from around Ireland.

Social media campaign - a social media campaign featuring three short films will also support Safer Internet Day. The films raise awareness of the complex issue of cyberbullying, reflect common experiences of young people, highlight the different roles involved in incidents, and consider the at-risk groups. The campaign will encourage the audience to consider their own behaviour and attitudes and help create more inclusive, tolerant communities on and offline.

Sign up for Safer Internet Day – Webwise sends free online safety packs to any school, organisation, club, or group taking part in Safer Internet Day. If you are planning to do something to mark #SID2023, share your plans with us and we will send you free wristbands for your participants. 
Sign-up at www.webwise.ie/saferinternetday/.

Free education resources, lessons and videos – Webwise provides free curriculum-aligned education resources, lessons, activities and videos addressing a range of online safety and digital media literacy topics including cyberbullying, image-sharing, privacy, online well-being and more. For Safer Internet Day, we encourage all schools in Ireland to engage in online safety lessons and activities. These resources can be accessed for free via webwise.ie and we also send out hard copies to schools.

SID Ambassador Training Programme – The SID Ambassador Training Programme 2023 will be a blended training programme comprising both online training sessions with a full in-person training day for the youth ambassadors which will equip students with the knowledge and skills to lead their own online safety campaign in their school or community. More than 100 students from schools across Ireland will be taking part.

Spread the word – Help us to reach more people in Ireland and support Safer Internet Day by highlighting it on your website and social media channels.

Webwise has a dedicated Safer Internet Day Hub with ideas and resources to help anyone who is planning a SID event: visit www.webwise.ie/saferinternetday/.

Relevant tags: @WebwiseIreland, #SaferInternetDay, #SID2023.

What we are doing to support the SID 2023 slogan of "Together for a better internet"…

Bullying and abuse can have very serious negative consequences for those involved, and it is an issue that as a society we are still struggling to deal with. Webwise will be calling people in Ireland to get together for a better internet, and to create a more respectful and inclusive online environment.

Webwise is the Irish Internet Safety Awareness Centre which is co-funded by the Department of Education and Skills and is co-financed by the European Union’s Digital Europe programme.

Webwise is part of the PDST Technology in Education, which promotes and supports the integration of Digital Technology in teaching and learning in first and second level schools. The PDST Technology in Education is a section of the Professional Development Service for Teachers (PDST). The PDST is a support service of the Teacher Education Section, Department of Education and Skills and is hosted by Dublin West Education Centre.

Webwise promotes the autonomous, effective, and safer use of the internet by young people through a sustained information and awareness strategy targeting parents, teachers, and children themselves with consistent and relevant messages.

We develop and disseminate resources that help teachers integrate internet safety into teaching and learning in their schools. We also provide information, advice, and tools to parents to support their engagement in their children’s online lives. With the help of the Webwise Youth Advisory Panel, we develop youth-oriented awareness-raising resources and campaigns that address topics such as cyberbullying.