Safer Internet Day: Info, Tips, and Resources

Today is Safer Internet Day! This day is dedicated to bringing awareness about internet safety to parents, teachers, and students. The internet continues to become a more dangerous place if it is not used correctly.  Students need to continue to improve their digital citizenship skills in order to make good decisions when they are online.  Take Safer Internet Day as a good opportunity to remind students to be safe when they are online. 

"Safer Internet Day (SID) is organised by Insafe in February of each year to promote safer and more responsible use of online technology and mobile phones, especially among children and young people across the world. Safer Internet Day 2012 will take place on Tuesday 7 February 2012, centred on the theme "Connecting generations and educating each other", where we encourage users young and old to "discover the digital world together...safely!" [1]

This website aims to showcase the many exciting activities and events that will be taking part across the globe to celebrate the day.

http://www.saferinternetday.org/web/guest/home

About Safer Internet Day

"Over the years, Safer Internet Day has become a landmark event in the online safety calendar. Starting as an initiative of the EU SafeBorders project in 2004 and taken up by the Insafe network (www.saferinternet.org) as one of its earliest actions in 2005, Safer Internet Day has grown beyond its traditional geographic zone and is now celebrated in more than 70 countries worldwide, and across six of the world’s seven continents." [1]

"From cyberbullying to social networking, each year Insafe aims to be at the forefront of emerging online issues and chooses a topic reflecting current concerns. This year we are focusing on connecting generations, as we invite people of all ages from very young children to parents and grandparents to 'discover the digital world together… safely'." [1]

Insafe, a network set up within the Safer Internet Programme



5 Online Safety Tips

1. Think before you post 
2. Keep your personal information private 
3. Lock your personal devices and online applications with a strong password 
4. Be respectful of other people when you are online 
5. Report any suspicious or inappropriate online activity 

Resources for Internet Safety

The Google Family Safety Center introduces parents to and shows them how to use Google's safety tools including safe search, safe search lock, and YouTube's safety mode. Google has partnered with a number of child safety organizations to develop educational materials for dealing with topics like cyberbullying, strangers online, protecting personal information, and avoiding malware online. Finally, Google's Family Safety Center contains a collection of videos featuring Google employees sharing the strategies they use with their own kids for teaching online behavior and keeping their kids safe online.

Visit Google's Good to Know: Online Safety Website for tips and advice on how to stay more secure on the web.

For Additional Resources on Internet Safety, visit the following blog post:  Free Technology for Teachers: 15 Resources for Safer Internet Day

You might also like
Ultimate Guide to Internet Safety

References:

1. Insafe: http://www.saferinternetday.org/web/guest/home

2. How to Protect Your Children on Their Smartphone