Safer Internet Day 2016: a success in Europe and beyond - Main contents

Today we are celebrating Safer Internet Day to promote safe and responsible use of digital technology among children and the young. This year, people in more than one hundred countries in the European Union and across the world will join the event around the theme “Play your part for a better internet”.

Today we are celebrating Safer Internet Day to promote safe and responsible use of digital technology among children and the young. This year, people in more than one hundred countries in the European Union and across the world will join the event around the theme “Play your part for a better internet”.

Safer Internet Day is one of the highlights of our Better Internet for Kids strategy: what started in 2004 as a European event under the Safer Internet Programme has turned into a global celebration that reached more than 28 million people in Europe and 60 million users worldwide last year.

The event is organised by Insafe, the European network of Safer Internet Centres and supported by the European Commission. Thanks to EU funding, the Better Internet for Kids platform gives internet users access to a wealth of information, guidance and resources on better internet issues. It is part of our work to increase access to high-quality content for children and young people, step up awareness and empowerment, create a safe environment for children online, and to fight against sexual abuse and exploitation of children.

One of three internet users are children and they spend more and more time on social media, playing online games or using mobile apps. Surfing the internet brings benefits but there are also threats like cyberbullying, hate speech or manipulative advertising. Safer Internet Day is about enjoying online services in a secure and responsible way.

There are thousands of events in Europe and beyond which offer the chance for young people to learn what they need to check before sharing pictures on social media, how to react to privacy violations or where to report suspicious behaviour of other internet users.

In 2016, Safer Internet day will build new connections between young internet users, industry, policy makers and institutions: more than 50 organizations have already signed up to support the campaign. You can explore a new platform to share resources and learn about available services and good practices related to responsible use of the internet.

To find out what’s happening visit the interactive map and follow the debate on Twitter with the #SID2016 hashtag.