On 9th February, the Application Developers Alliance (Alliance), along with more than a thousand organisations, participated in the 2016 Safer Internet Day (SID). Coordinated by European Schoolnet and the International Association of Internet Hotlines (INHOPE), in close partnership with the Insafe network of Safer Internet Centres in Europe, Safer Internet Day is an annual event to promote the responsible and positive use of digital technology for children and young people. The 2016 Safer Internet Day focussed on inspiring a kind, respectful and inclusive internet, and helping raise awareness about the issue of online hate. The event reached over one million people in over a hundred countries and gained huge momentum on social media.
As a supporter of Safer Internet Day, we recognise that the internet and online interactions are an increasingly important part of young people’s lives, and it is essential to ensure their online safety so that they can fully enjoy all of the benefits that the internet has to offer.
Catriona Meehan, Alliance EU policy director, said:
“App developers take younger users and their various needs into great consideration, developing a wide range of apps compliant with data protection obligations. In addition, developers are keen to collaborate with each other and the rest of the digital industry in order to identify guidelines that allow them to improve the quality of their apps and safety measures. At the Alliance we are proud of the progress made by developers and we are committed to raising awareness on the issue of online safety. We believe that educating children, parents, educators and teachers should be a priority”.
“Digital empowerment for all ages will create the safest internet environment possible”.
The day was a huge success, with hundreds of schools, businesses, charities and celebrities playing their part and spreading the word.
There was a great deal of traffic to the new SID minisite during the day: 55,300 users visited the website with over 57,500 sessions. The SID Thunderclap campaign reached over 2.5 million people at 9.00 CET with a message on social media to kick start the day. Many influential supporters helped to spread the SID message on Twitter to including European Parliament, European Commission, Interpol, Twitter, United Nations and UNICEF. The Alliance and its members are excited to contribute to making the internet a better place both now, and in the future.
To read more:
EU Commissioner for Digital Economy and Society Günther Oettinger blog post
Safer Internet Day feature in the European Parliament magazine, featuring quotes from Commissioners and MEPs.
Alliance blog post “Kids and apps: exciting and safe fun”, published on the “Better Internet for Kids” website.
