Brussels, 11/02/2014 (Agence Europe) - On 11 February, more than one hundred countries in the world celebrated the 11th anniversary of “Safer Internet Day”. The slogan chosen for this campaign this year was “Let's Create a Better Internet Together”. With the US celebrating this event for the first time, Commissioner for the Digital Strategy Neelie Kroes sent internet users a video message from the Capitol in Washington: “I want today to be a wake-up call for parents. You need to know what your kids are doing online. That's not the EU's job or a government's job, it's your job, and there are lots of websites and organisations to help”. Kroes also used the occasion to award the prizes for the best creators of child content (4-12). This is an annual competition open to children, young people and adults which aims to encourage production of new content and provide young people with online opportunities to learn, play, discover and invent. Commissioner Kroes stated that “I see children and young people doing amazing things with digital tools. We need to encourage that, help them to be safe, and give them ways to create a better internet themselves - and to stand up against cyber-bullies”.
This competition is organised in 26 European countries (including 24 member states, plus Iceland and Russia) by the Insafe Network and European Schoolnet, with the support of the European Union and other organisations. There were four competition categories (young individuals, young people groups, non-professional adults and adult professionals).
This year, the campaign for a safer internet focused on working together. It called on young people, parents, youth workers and teachers to work together to improve internet safety and protect young internet users. Around 100 online and off-line events and activities were organised by participating countries at national and local levels to show the best examples of this collaboration. Kroes stated: “We aim to emphasise the role that we ALL have to play in making the internet a better place. We also aim to showcase some of the great, collaborative work that is already taking place - between children and young people, their carers and educators, industry and politicians - to work towards making this a reality”. (IL/transl.fl)