To secure the access to the Internet for children

February, 11 2014 is dedicated for the Safer Internet Day. This event, which takes place each year in February, is an opportunity to remind the engagement of the European Union to safety the access of the Internet for youngsters. This day, created in 1996 at the initiative of Europe, developed since all over the world.

The topic of this year is “Let’s create a Better Internet together”. The goal is to encourage all people to be careful about the online content for children and young. These latter are indeed huge consumers of this tool which is however not always appropriate for them.

The European Union has indeed developed a section about the adaptation of the Internet for young people inside the Digital Agenda for Europe.

The Safer Internet Programme has four areas of actions:

– Increase the production of online and educational content specific to children as well as highlight positives experiences

– Aware and empower more and more through learning in school, among other things, the culture and the digital security

– Create a safe environment for children

– Fight against online sexual abuse

This programme has so to goal to support all projects that highlight and protect children and young people on the Internet, but also to promote self-regulation of professional people and to develop international cooperation. For example, in the “CEO coalition”, composed of voluntary companies, about thirty companies implemented some tools in their website to protect children when they use them.

The main action of the Safer Internet Programm was the creation of Safer Internet Centers, in over 30 European countries, in order to inform and give advice to young people, parents and teachers. These places must also collect young’s opinion about these digital security issues and complains about the illegal contents, another topic targeted by this programme. Inside each member state for this programme, these centers are also the intermediary for the “Safer Internet Day”.