2025 Safer Internet Day campaign in Estonia
01.02.2025 - 01.03.2025
This year, the Safer Internet Day (SID) campaign in Estonia focused on developing children´s digital and media literacy skills. Together with partners, Estonian Safer Internet Centre compiled thematic awareness raising materials and carried out several thematic awareness raising events for teachers, parents, and children both online and offline.
Estonian Union for Child Welfare together with University of Tartu and Estonian National Library compiled an educational material “Koostöös teadlikumaks interneti kasutajaks” (Becoming a Better- informed Internet User Through Cooperation) for teachers, parents and people who are working with the children. Material contains information about the most popular social media apps among children (for example Youtube, Snapchat, TikTok, Instagram) together with relevant topics related to online safety (for example privacy, platform design, influencers, misinformation, cyberbullying, AI) with thematic videos, lesson plans, games and guidelines. The aim of the material is to provide them new thematic resources which can be used in awareness raising events for the children. Material can be found on the Estonian SIC website: https://www.targaltinternetis.ee/opetajatele/koostoos-teadlikumaks-interneti-kasutajaks/.
Awareness raising events for children in schools, kindergartens and other organisations
In January, Estonian Safer Internet Centre invited schools, kindergartens, youth centres and libraries to organize awareness raising events for children and students to raise their digital and media competencies and to celebrate Safer Internet Day. Altogether more than 7400 children and students participated in 70 Safer Internet Day awareness raising events in schools, kindergartens, youth centres and libraries. For example, thematic discussions and workshops for students were organized by the teachers, children created thematic posters, took part in online safety quizzes, watched thematic videos etc. All awareness-raising activities, which were registered on the Estonian Safer Internet Centre website, were placed on the Estonian map, which can be found: https://www.targaltinternetis.ee/event/turvalise-interneti-paev-2025/.
CyberPin testing events for 1st-6th grade students in Estonian schools
On the Safer Internet Day, Tallinn University of Technology launched CyberPin 2025 (KüberNööpnõel) digital skills online testing event for 1-6 grade students, which aim is to introduce online safety and cybersecurity topics to students and test their digital skills. CyberPin testing event is opened until 31st of March. So far more than 4400 students from 136 schools have participated in the testing event. More information can be found: https://www.targaltinternetis.ee/event/kuberturvalisuse-test-kubernoopnoel-2025-koolide-1-6-klasside-opilastele/.
Webinars for parents and teachers
On Safer Internet Day, Estonian Union for Child Welfare together with University of Tartu and Telia Estonia carried out webinar for parents “Help, my child made a social media account” in order to raise their awareness about opportunities and risks related to using social media platforms. Four experts participated in the discussion: Liise, youth panellist of EUCW, Kerli Valner, awareness coordinator of Estonian SIC project Smartly on the Web in EUCW, Inger Klesment, media expert at University of Tartu and Maarja Punak, communication specialist at Police and Border Guard Board. Moderator was Erki Pogoretski, data and analytics manager in Telia Estonia. Also, for the webinar EUCW together with University of Tartu asked 190 children via short questionnaire about their experiences in using different social media apps. Information about the webinar and video can be found on Estonian SIC website: https://www.targaltinternetis.ee/uudised/2025/02/11-02-kell-19-00-targalt-internetis-veebiseminar-lapsevanematele-appi-mu-laps-tegi-sotsiaalmeediakonto/.
Education and Youth Board organized two webinars for teachers about how to distinguish truth from fiction and about opportunities and risks related to using AI by students. Tallinn University of Technology carried out webinar for teachers to introduce new cybersecurity learning materials, which focus on basic level of cybersecurity and social aspects of cybersecurity. Recordings of the webinars together with the learning modules are available on the Estonian SIC website www.targaltinternetis.ee.
Estonian SIC experts received state decorations by Estonian President
Also, in February 2025, two experts from Estonian Safer Internet Centre received state recognition and decorations by Estonian President Alar Karis. The Estonian Safer Internet Centre coordinator in EUCW, Malle Hallimäe received state decoration for long-term promotion of child rights in Estonia and Estonian SIC expert in Tallinn University of Estonia, Birgy Lorenz, received state decoration for long-term promotion of IT-education in Estonia. Estonian Safer Internet Centre continues with this work and promotes online safety, digital and media competences of children, parents, and teachers in a daily basis.
