Safer Internet Day

Internet is a wonderful invention that has definitely changed the world in more ways than we can think of. Unfortunately, not all of those ways are positive. We can connect with people faster, find things easier, and transmit information at the speed of light. The very benefits of communication can become a barrier to safety. So much information and our private lives are transferred over the internet, Safer Internet Day, which is celebrated on February 9^th, reminds us to protect ourselves from the dangers out there and make the internet a little bit safer for everyone.

About Safer Internet Day

Co-ordinated in the UK by the UK Safer Internet Centre, Safer Internet Day (SID) is celebrated globally every February to promote the safe and positive use of technology for children and teenagers and inspire a national conversation.

The campaign saw more than 1,700 organizations unite to raise awareness of online safety issues and organize events and activities right across the UK.

Globally, Safer Internet Day is celebrated in more than a hundred countries, coordinated by the joint Insafe/INHOPE network, with support from the European Commission and Safer Internet Centers across Europe.

It calls on young people, parents, carers, teachers, social workers, law enforcement, companies, policy makers and wider to join hands to help create a better internet. Come on in to play your part!

History of Safer Internet Day

2012 was the first time of Safer Internet Day when the US Department of Homeland Security and the European Commission decided that it was time to help herd the burgeoning beast of the Internet into a safer playground for young people. In the US, things really went smoothly in 2013 when ConnectSafely.org was appointed to coordinate efforts in the American theater and they pushed it forward a little bit each year. Each year, they choose a theme to help promote and a goal they plan to achieve. What kind of goals?

In 2015, they began promoting that year's theme, "Action & Activism towards a Better Network and World", where they focused on concerns such as bullying and society. Join the National Association of Parents and Teachers and work to use technology to help create social change. This is a particularly powerful use of the tool, given that people from all walks of life and cultures from all over the world can connect and communicate in ways they never could before. That is the purpose of the Internet, what it has brought us and the world it has helped bring together.

How to celebrate Safer Internet Day

The first thing you can do to celebrate Safer Internet Day is work towards expanding your own online safety portfolio. Know what to do if you see instances of cyberbullying and how to connect and communicate with people around the world in areas of mutual interest. Make sure your identity is firmly protected and the people in your life protected. Better yet, stop by connectsafely.org and check out the latest apps to protect you and your kids, and stay on top of breaking internet security news.