Maltese Safer Internet Centre - BeSmartOnline!

Last updated: 2024-01-23

About our SID activities

For Safer Internet Day (SID) 2024, the BeSmartonline! team which is the Maltese Safer Internet Centre (SIC) will be doing several awareness sessions with children and young people and also parents in schools around Malta and Gozo.  An information day will be held in Valletta on the 13th of February, 2024, where different activities to celebrate the day will be taking place, amongst them the Instax campaign. We will invite young people to take photos with our Polaroid, and then we will discuss online safety with them while attaching a sticker at the back with online safety tips. A stand for the younger ones in which face/hand painting and balloon making will be set. The Safer Internet Centre collaborated with the National Sports School and will send two sports facilitators to do physical activities with the children visiting our stand. The consortium members and young people from the youth panel will be present to speak to passersby and those visiting the stand. We are expecting a high volume of families visiting our stand as the day chosen is during Carnival recess, and many families go to Valletta to attend the Carnival activities. 

The youth panel is working on a video to be uploaded online and sent to all middle and secondary schools in Malta and Gozo.  Schools will be encouraged to show the video during assembly on the 6th of February, 2024.  This year's video will feature young people and consortium partners, primarily focusing on digital footprints. The video will be shared on various Maltese Safer Internet Centre social media platforms. 

Last year, the Maltese Safer Internet Centre launched a songwriting competition in which students participated. The winning song was professionally recorded in a Music studio, and a Lyric video was produced to be circulated in all primary schools in Malta and Gozo. Schools will be invited to showcase their video during the assembly. Additionally, the lyrics video will be shared across various social media platforms. 

Two resources on digital footprint were produced by the Safer Internet Centre, one for primary schools and the other for middle and secondary schools,  to be uploaded in the Safer Internet Day toolkit on the website for teachers to use during their lessons.

Different student bashes are being organised in all post-secondary schools in Malta and Gozo throughout February to raise awareness on online safety, give out information about the Safer Internet Centre and the hotline and helpline and promote Safer Internet Day.  Notebooks, tote bags, and resources on sexting will be distributed, and students will be invited to take a Polaroid photo with online safety tips at the back. This initiative will target around 20,000 students.
 
Moreover, during the week preceding and following Safer Internet Day, the team members will participate in different media slots on national television and radio stations. Two press releases will be issued, one by FSWS and one by the Office of the Commissioner for Children, to commemorate the day and inform the general public about the different awareness activities the SIC will be organising.  Along with these, the SIC will write an article for Primary Children's magazine and participate in a newspaper interview.

What we are doing to create a better internet...

"Together for a Better Internet" Motto: The phrase "Together for a Better Internet" encapsulates the collective responsibility of individuals, regardless of age, in creating a safer online environment.
It underscores the idea that addressing internet safety issues requires a collaborative effort, involving the active participation of young people, adults, and the broader community. This motto promotes a sense of unity and shared responsibility to foster a positive and secure online space.

Children and Youth Panel contribution contribution for Safer Internet Day: The involvement of children and young people suggests that there is a recognition of the importance of including the perspectives and efforts of the youth in addressing internet safety issues. The creation of two videos for Safer Internet Day indicates a proactive approach to raising awareness about the significance of online safety. Using a visual medium can be highly effective video can be effective in conveying messages to a broader audience, especially considering the popularity of online platforms for information dissemination.

Organisation of Information Day and Students Bashes: Bringing together people of all ages for this event indicates a holistic approach, recognising that internet safety concerns individuals across different age groups. This day involves interactive sessions to equip participants with the knowledge and skills to navigate the online world safely.

About us

The BeSmartOnline! Safer Internet Centre concerts the efforts of national stakeholders working towards the safer use of the internet by children and youths. The initiative aims at raising awareness and educating minors, carers and educators on the safe use of the internet; establishing, operating and promoting reporting facilities for internet abuse; and supporting respective victims through the helpline and hotline work.

Additional links/resources

Website
http://www.besmartonline.org.mt

Email address
179.appogg@gov.mt

Contact name
Deborah Vassallo

Contact email
deborah.vassallo@gov.mt

Social media