Safer Internet Day 2024
- Germaine Chow
- Feb 27, 2024
- 5 min read
Celebrated in February each year, Safer Internet Day is a global campaign that champions for the safe, responsible use of technology and our society's collective responsibility in creating a better internet sphere.
I was first introduced to the extensive resources on the UK Safer Internet Centre when I attended the 'Safeguarding Children in the Digital Age 2024' online conference earlier this year and upon diving into the wealth available resources, I felt so enthused by their initiatives and thus wanted to be an active supporter in spreading their good work.
One of the core beliefs at UK Safer Internet Centre is the necessity of engaging in ongoing dialogue with young people to understand their real needs rather perceived needs. Consequently, their initiatives and support carry such relevance and insight, shedding light on the sentiments of our young generation and their engagement with the internet. With this in mind, the theme for this year's UK Safer Internet Day is 'Inspiring change? Making a difference, managing influence and navigating change online'.
"In our focus groups young people shared with us the ways in which change characterises their online lives. It absolutely relates to the fast-changing world of technology, and in this last year, with the launch of Chat GPT and other generative artificial intelligence (gen AI) tools, there is a feeling of revolutionary technological change. But it also relates to the 'change' or impact of what young people see and experience online on how they think, feel and act... Lastly, young people talked to us about how they are using the internet to make change for the better."
Will Gardner OBE, Director of the UK Safer Internet Centre (2024)
Report by UK Safer Internet Centre for Safer Internet Day 2024
As I read the thoughtful insights of our young generation, I was heartened by their desire for more support, more knowledge and develop further skills to ensure a safe, responsible internet . More importantly, their feelings of optimism and excitement towards new technologies led me to examine my personal biases and hesitations towards approaching new platforms. Like many parents and carers in this survey, our trepidation, feelings of ill-preparedness and concern of safeguarding risks in the fast-changing technological environment, tend to overshadow any enthusiasm that we may have. Thus, the findings of this research served as a timely reminder to embrace and celebrate the positives.
As a show of support for Safer Internet Day 2024 and having gained the insights of young people, I pondered on how we can. as parents and adults, take practical actions that align with the real needs and concerns voiced by our young.
1. Making a difference online and bringing change for the better
I absolutely love that young people see themselves as changemakers and are agentic in making a positive impact online (no matter how big or small). A majority of the young surveyed have the desire to use the internet as a tool to show support for targeted groups and have had the courage to be an upstander for their friends in face of unkind online interactions or comments.
As adults, here are some ways we can further promote their agency and make the world better through the internet.
2. Managing influence of the internet on the way we feel, think and act
We are all under the influence of the internet and the online content we consume. As adults, we too, may find it challenging to consistently maintain a healthy relationship with technology. Likewise, young people are articulating this struggle of coping with the 'stickiness' of social media and have the desire to find ways to better establish healthier boundaries with their social media use.
I sincerely believe that the best support we can offer here is to be authentic and honest with our personal consumption and internet use. When we are mindful of our consumption, we can openly talk about our pitfalls when the Infinite Scroll has one over us or when it feels like the algorithms know us all too well. When we are aware of our pitfalls, we can then discuss and employ strategies to better navigate our relationship with the internet. The curiosity and awareness that we have about the influences of the internet on us, is key in helping us manage its influences and a useful guide of lived experiences for our young.
3. Navigating and adapting to change online
Whilst governments around the world are still trying to hold social media giants more accountable for ensuring the safety of young people and calling for systematic change to reduce safeguarding risks, the development of Gen AI has brought much excitement and reservations over the last year. There is already a fast-growing concern amongst the young of the use of Gen AI in generating in fake, inappropriate images and worries of other avenues of misuse continue to grab headlines.
It will remain a constant cycle where new technologies bring possibilities, but at the same time, be prone to misuse and carry risks. It is definitely not doom and gloom because within this cycle lies the knowledge and expertise of people around the globe who are committed to understand and counter these risks and this is what enables us to remain hopeful and empowered.
In face of an ongoing changing landscape, I genuinely believe that the solution will always be the parents' proactive engagement with the new tech, open communication with our child, as well as building our child's toolkit of enduring skills that will support them, no matter what the internet brings.
Time and the lack of knowledge will always be nagging reasons for our inability to keep up with the changing trends, but if we just try our best to engage with the expertise out there on the internet to educate ourselves, isn't this the best example we can set for our young? Almost 7 out of 10 parents surveyed in the research expressed their desire to know how to access more information to keep abreast with the changing technologies, further reaffirming the reason why I created this site.
The Resources pages on this site have been updated with more information on Safer Internet Day and a wealth of resources that you can use with your child. It makes me happy just seeing how relevant and helpful their ideas and wide-ranging their topics are, so be sure to dive into their contents and you will no doubt find something beneficial for you and your family.
References
UK Safer Internet Centre (2024) Safer Internet Day 2024
UK Safer Internet Centre (2024) A report by the UK Safer Internet Centre for Safer Internet Day 2024.
Children & Young People Now (2024) 'Safeguarding Children in the Digital Age' Online Conference.
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