Supporting Safer Internet Day 2018

06 Dec 2017 BY Will Gardner, OBE

4 mins
Supporting Safer Internet Day 2018

On Tuesday 6 February 2018, millions across the UK and globally will be celebrating Safer Internet Day, the theme of which this year is 'Create, Connect and Share Respect: A better internet starts with you'.

As a result of this collective action, last year's Safer Internet Day 2017 - our most successful yet - reached 3 million UK children and 2 million UK parents. This year's Safer Internet Day - which we hope will have an even bigger reach - is a fantastic opportunity for people to consider how they interact online and what they can do to develop healthy online relationships.

For 11-18 year olds, the discussion can become more nuanced, and educators can address issues such as respecting oneself and others online, cyberbullying, looking after your online reputation, and thinking critically about the content you see online.

To inspire schools to support Safer Internet Day 2018 we have developed education packs and films tailored for those aged 3-7, 7-11, 11-14 and 14-19, as well as for educators, and parents/carers. These are available in English and Welsh and include a range of activities to foster the idea of healthy online relationships. We've also collaborated with the Industry Trust to create Meet the Malwares, a new animation aiming to educate young people on the dangers they may encounter online. You can watch the video at the top of this page.

Support Safer Internet Day Through Film

One way to encourage your students to focus on this year's theme of healthy online relationships is through film. Into Film has a number of films and related guides including The Social Network, InRealLife and, for younger children, Harriet The Spy or The Thief Lord, which can be used to start a broader discussion about how our online interactions affect other people, as well as the potential pitfalls of sharing information online and communicating with people we don't know. This year, for the first time, Into Film's popular ‘Staying Safe Online' resources - tailored for different age-groups and complete with embedded film clips - are available with subtitles to reach more young people. You can download these free resources below.

Part of staying safe online is understanding that downloading films, music or other content illegally puts someone at risk of infecting their computer with malicious software (malware), which can compromise their privacy and can even result in a hacker activating the person's webcam without them knowing. To highlight this important message, Into Film will also be launching a new, one-and-a-half minute animated film, Staying Safe Online: Meet The Malwares, highlighting the risks posed by malicious software, in time for Safer Internet Day 2018.

Get involved and 'Be the change'

Childnet and the Safer Internet Centre - in partnership with Into Film - have just launched brand new Education Packs and complementary SID TV films tailored for 3-7s, 7-11s, 11-14s, 14-18s and parents and carers, along with some guidance for educators. These are available in English and Welsh, and include lesson plans, posters, presentations, activities and more! 

Download the Education Packs

Watch the SID TV films

For more resources, ideas and tips visit: www.saferinternetday.org.uk. You can also tweet @UK_SIC using the hashtag #SID2017.

If you're running an activity for Safer Internet Day, remember to share what you're doing by joining the Safer Internet Day supporters list.

Together we can 'be the change' and help make the internet a better place!

Will Gardner, CEO of Childnet International

Will Gardner, OBE, CEO of Childnet International

Will is Director of the UK Safer Internet Centre and the CEO of Childnet, a children's charity working with others to help make the internet a great and safe place for children.

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