All fun and games?

Tomorrow is safer internet day with the theme, ‘All fun and games? Exploring respect and relationships online’.

Every year in February, Safer Internet Day is celebrated globally to help promote the safe use of technology. This day goes someway to foster not only a national conversation but also global discussion about using technology safely whilst at the same time recognising the huge potential technology offers our young people.

Our young people are growing up in a digital age. Most people use some form of tech to communicate with friends, peers and over the last couple of years, they have accessed their education via online methods too. Where would we be without the internet? Digital technologies are present in nearly every aspect of our lives, and we have become increasingly connected through the internet. Yet, whilst there is huge potential for digital technologies, we also know that our young people are exposed to risks when online too.

Conversations are key to exploring issues that are cropping up for our young people. This year the theme for ‘Safer Internet Day’ is ‘All fun and games’ and focuses on the platforms that children are using. These platforms, which allow young people to play games and interact with one another, are a great way for children to interact with each other, yet there are also many risks. The UK Safer Internet Centre https://saferinternet.org.uk/ talks about the emerging safety issues from these platforms, such as the lack of respect there can be for individuals and the sense that you can get away from such behaviour when online as there is a lack of consequences. It’s important that we have conversations about what constitutes respectful behaviour, and that young people know what to do when confronted with negativity. These conversations need to take place regularly at home and at school. We need to have the same attitude to internet safety as we do to road safety.

· The Digital Resilience Frame work UKCIS_Digital_Resilience_Framework.pdf (publishing.service.gov.uk) goes someway to offer a practical framework to guide organisations to consider digital resilience for both individuals and groups. The framework also includes a checklist for different content, services, environment and policies.

· The website Home - Safer Internet Day provides a community platform where there are lots of resources shared between different countries allowing access to multilingual resources.