Safer Internet Day: Promoting Digital Security for Children and Youth

Kathmandu. Today, Safer Internet Day is being celebrated with the slogan ‘Smart Technologies in an AI-Powered Internet, Safe Options.’ Safer Internet Day is celebrated globally every year to promote the safe and positive use of digital technology for children and young people and to stimulate national dialogue on the issue.

Jointly coordinated by organizations called Insafe and INHOPE with the support of the European Commission and national Safer Internet Centers across Europe, Safer Internet Day is observed in more than 170 countries worldwide. 

Specifically, Safer Internet Day provides a platform to promote the safe and positive use of digital technology for children and youth and to encourage national discourse regarding this matter. ChildSafeNet has been coordinating and promoting Safer Internet Day in Nepal since 2019.

Along with the rapid progress in the field of information and communication technology, this revolution is also bringing countless negative and alarming effects into existence. Children and young people are among the maximum users of digital technology. The unsafe use of digital technology makes them vulnerable to serious risks such as online sexual abuse and exploitation, cyberbullying, phishing, and sextortion. 

Such risks can affect the mental and intellectual development of children, as well as discourage them and decrease their self-esteem. It is essential for children, young people, parents, teachers, and the government to take cybersecurity seriously and fulfill their respective responsibilities to make the internet a safe place.