Safer Internet Day: the initiatives of Microsoft, Huawei, Samsung

Today 5.3 billion people in the world use the Internet. That number has almost doubled from 3.2 billion in 2015. On Safer Internet Day, which is celebrated today, Unicef ​​highlights how each of us can make the Internet a safer and kinder place. According to Unicef’s Innocenti Report Card 16, in 11 European countries the time children spend online has almost doubled in less than a decade, from an hour and a half to almost three hours a day. In the US, the percentage of teens who say they are online “almost constantly” rose from 24 to 45 percent in three years. An additional 44% report using the internet several times a day.

Growing up online offers unlimited opportunities: through computers, smartphones, game consoles and televisions, children learn, imagine and develop their social networks. When used right and accessible to all, the Internet has the potential to broaden horizons and ignite creativity around the world. But these opportunities also come with serious risks. Cyberbullying and other forms of peer violence can affect young people whenever they log on to social media or instant messaging platforms.

For this reason, UNICEF has launched 5 tips for young people to use these tools in a conscious and healthy way:

• Whether it’s video games or social media, be careful when relating to someone online;
• Cultivate your friendships online and offline. Think about how to maintain meaningful connections and how to carve out quality time with friends and family;
• Pay attention to the time you spend online or on your device. You may want to consider scheduling regular times to pursue hobbies you enjoy or to see others offline;
• Remember that not everything you see on social media is real and try not to create unrealistic expectations;
• Consider how your online experiences may help your right to express yourself and pursue your interests

Microsoft research

Microsoft, which has been participating in Safer Internet Day for 19 years, has released a new annual report where it analyzes the perceptions and attitudes that teenagers and parents around the world have about online safety and their experiences of risk. The research is based on a survey conducted between August and September 2022 of a sample of 16,000 people made up of teenagers (ages 13-17), parents of children aged 6-17 and adults (ages 18-74) on the state of digital civilization and online security today in 16 countries (Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Philippines, France, Germany, India, Italy, Mexico, Peru, United Kingdom, Singapore, United States).

The Global Online Safety Survey reveals that 69% of global respondents have experienced an online risk in the last year. Percentage that rises to 80% if we consider only the LGBTQ+ population. In Italy, the percentage of people who have suffered an online risk is 62%, and 75% for the LGBTQ+ population. To combat these risks, parents typically view safety features as effective tools for keeping their children safe online, with 81% of parents globally using at least one.

Among the main data that emerged: Disinformation (49%), violent content (32%) and personal risks – such as hate speech, cyberbullying, threats – (30%) are the most common risks encountered in Italy. If hate speech is the most common risk among boys – experienced by 28%, forms of sexual solicitation are instead the danger that affects girls the most, especially 9% of the sample.

After experiencing an online risk, 62% of Italian teenagers (against 60% globally) talk about it with someone, 76% of Italian teenagers talk about it with their parents (against 70% of teenagers worldwide )

Like other companies (for example Apple), Microsoft also provides a whole series of tools to make the online dimension a more civilized and safer place for everyone and invites citizens, companies and institutions to carefully consider the role that each of us plays for a more respectful use of the Internet.

Minecraft

On the occasion of the SID, then, Xbox introduced Privacy Prodigy within Minecraft Education, a learning experience designed to explain to teenagers how to manage personal data and how to make informed choices.

The game explores four areas representing different circles of trust, from immediate family members to public places like a library or restaurant. In each area, relevant personal information comes to life as bytes of data in dire need of protection. Players will face various challenges to learn real facts about cyber security.

This initiative is part of the CyberSafe project launched last year with Home Sweet Hmm, a fun and engaging way to help gamers identify the levels of trust they can place in the people around them and explore strategies to safeguard their sensitive personal information and to mitigate problems that arise from compromised information.

Xbox also emphasizes how its online communities are curated with the help of Two Hat’s Community Sift platform, powered by AI and human intuition, which filters text, image and video content. Language and culture specialists – native speakers who understand formal and informal language, as well as cultural and regional idioms – build, curate and maintain the linguistic data that helps Community Sift determine which language is offensive and which is simply jargon used by players or part of their culture.

SID and PEGI are twenty years old

And speaking of games, this year, as well as for Safer Internet Day, there is an important anniversary also for PEGI: in fact, both are 20 years old. The two organizations aim to broaden understanding of digital ecosystems: PEGI aims to help parents make informed decisions about video games, while Safer Internet Day has set itself as the annual appointment to take stock of the efforts of a entire network to guide people to a safe online experience. Their messages are largely convergent, as the online and social aspects of video games are taking center stage in gamer experiences, while at the same time the online environment is being substantially influenced by video game culture.

The pace at which technology evolves means that there is a continuous need for information and education in the use of these tools: parents are looking for answers in a complex environment to ensure that children and young people can play, have fun, learn and browse safely.

Those who leave children alone with a smartphone

by Riccarlo Luna

07 February 2023

The Samsung Podcast

An unfiltered account of authentic stories and experiences of GenZ for GenZ, between uncertainties, fears and small and great joys, to give voice to the needs of a generation, be the spokesperson for positive messages and support their peers in difficulty. This is the voice of your generation, a podcast conceived, written and created by 12 young people aged 15 to 18, from all over Italy and selected from over 2,000 applications.

The podcast, consisting of three episodes, is available exclusively on Spotify. The story is set on a bus during a hypothetical school trip at the end of the year. The choice is not random: due to the pandemic and the virus containment measures, most Italian kids have never taken a school trip with their class. This is the place where the confrontation begins, a natural and authentic dialogue on three key themes for GenZ: passions, insecurity and fear of being judged, the relationship with others. Special companion on this journey, Giulia Stabile, dancer and talent of the twentieth edition of Amici, who with dance was able to fully express herself and tell her story:

“I am very happy to have worked with the guys on this project. I tried to convey to them the importance of always being themselves and reflecting on their thoughts and emotions, telling themselves for who they are. Sometimes you just need to find the right way and tool to do it. For me it was the dance, for them the voice. Art is born by looking inside and listening to oneself”.

The Huawei bus

These rules obviously don’t apply only on February 7, but always. Thus Huawei’s commitment alongside minors starts with a meeting in Turin, but continues with a series of 15 appointments in as many cities in 5 Italian regions. The SmartBus project, created with the Parole O_Stili association of Trieste, aims to help children acquire awareness of the risks of the Internet and the opportunities of digital tools with free training sessions in lower secondary schools. The SmartBus is a mobile interactive classroom equipped with digital devices that will stop in 5 Italian regions – after Piedmont, Lombardy, Tuscany, Lazio and Campania – involving over 4,500 male and female students who will be able to take part in training sessions through the special educational App entirely developed by Parole O_Stili for the project. Tutors will be present on SmartBus who will have the task of creating an interactive learning environment, useful for boys and girls to be able to relate through activities that simulate potentially risky situations such as requests to share data or photos. “The initiative was born as part of the global Tech for all program of a company present in 170 countries with 195,000 employees. The tour arrives in Italy with new contents, after 8 European countries where it involved 65,000 students. Huawei has developed SmartBus for provide students aged between 10 and 14 with the information they need on online safety, personal data protection and cyberbullying,” explains Fabio Romano, Industry Ecosystem and Privacy Officer at Huawei.