With Safer Internet Day 2022 just two weeks away, its organisers are aiming to reach more young people than ever before.
The event is celebrated globally in February each year to promote the safe and positive use of digital technology for children and young people, and to inspire a national conversation about online safety.
Coordinated in the UK by the UK Safer Internet Centre (UKSIC), Safer Internet Day 2022 will be celebrated on Tuesday 8th February with the theme ‘All fun and games? Exploring respect and relationships online’.
UKSIC is a unique partnership of three world-leading charities – the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF), Childnet and South West Grid for Learning (SWGfL) – working together to deliver critical advice, resources and interventions to help keep everyone, especially children and young people, safe online.
This year, with the support of Nominet, the UK Safer Internet Centre is hoping to reach more young people and children than ever before with its crucial online safety advice and support.
Ahead of Nominet’s pledge in October to support the UK Safer Internet Centre for the next three years with £5.1 million of funding, it also committed to £250,000 of funding for Safer Internet Day 2022 as part of its commitment to ensuring the online world is connected, inclusive and secure for all.
A longstanding supporter of Safer Internet Day, Nominet has previously worked closely with the three organisations on a number of projects and initiatives addressing issues around internet safety and digital resilience. It funds the Childnet Digital Leaders Plus programme, SWGfL’s Project Evolve and has a dedicated countering harm fund in place for the IWF.
Safer Internet Day impact
UKSIC hope this support will help to significantly increase the reach and impact of Safer Internet Day. In 2021, more young people heard about the day than ever before, with 51% of UK children aged 8-17, and 38% of UK parents and carers, reached.
There were more than 2.4 million views of Safer Internet Day films and over 1.5 million downloads of the free educational resources created for the day, while 112,000 young people tested their online safety knowledge with the Safer Internet Day online quiz.
As a result, 82% of young people said they felt more confident about what to do if they were worried about something online, while 85% said they know what to do if they or someone else see misleading or unreliable content online. In addition, 70% of UK parents and carers felt more confident about what to do if their child came to them with a problem they had online.
Will Gardner OBE, Director of the UK Safer Internet Centre, says:
“Safer Internet Day is enormous. It provides an incredible opportunity for all of us to get involved and start those conversations that are so important to supporting young people online.
“Nominet’s support for Safer Internet Day 2022 is vital and it came at a moment when we knew we needed to start our preparations, in the summer of 2021, but needed the funding to get started. We are so grateful for this support and are excited by what will happen on February 8th.”
Eleanor Bradley, Interim CEO at Nominet says:
“Internet safety needs to be a priority for young people, but it can be one of the hardest areas for children, carers and teachers to navigate. Each year Safer Internet Day prompts us to consider our own and others’ behaviours online, and how we can be safer digital citizens. Given how popular online gaming is, this year’s focus on exploring respect and relationships in that environment is really important and should hopefully inspire conversations and close the knowledge gap for those of us who are less savvy.
“As guardian of the .UK namespace, promoting safety and security is a priority for us and we’re proud to be able to continue to support UKSIC and its Safer Internet Day initiatives, not just as a vocal supporter of their efforts, but as a funder through our public benefit programme too.”
#PlayYourPart
Safer Internet Day 2022 resources are available free on the UK Safer Internet Centre website at: www.saferinternet.org.uk/safer-internet-day/safer-internet-day-2022
Schools, colleges, charities, local authorities, police and other organisations can support Safer Internet Day 2022 in a variety of ways, including:
- Registering as official Safer Internet Day supporters to showcase their involvement
- Checking out the Social Media Pack to see how they can support the day and help spread the word
- Downloading the Educational Resources and Films for the relevant age groups they work with
-ENDS-
About the UK Safer Internet Centre
The UK Safer Internet Centre works to promote the safe and responsible use of technology for children and young people. A partnership of three leading charities, Childnet, Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) and South West Grid for Learning (SWGfL), the Safer Internet Centre in the UK was set up in 2011 as one of 31 centres of the InSafe Network and has a shared mission of making the UK the safest place in the world to go online. The UK Safer Internet Centre offers leading education, training and awareness for children, parents and educators demonstrating how to stay safe online while enjoying all the positive benefits the internet has to offer.
About Nominet
Nominet is driven by a commitment to use technology to improve connectivity, security and inclusivity online. For 25 years, Nominet has run the .UK internet infrastructure, developing an expertise in the Domain Name System (DNS) that now underpins sophisticated threat monitoring, detection, prevention, and analytics that is used by governments to mitigate cyber threats. Our social impact programme aims to improve the lives of one million people, providing support and opportunities to tackle some of the most important digital issues facing young people in the UK today.
Nominet press office: Lizzy Bachelor at [email protected] 07818 509 655.