{"id":7680,"date":"2023-02-07T06:23:00","date_gmt":"2023-02-07T06:23:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dev.getkidas.com\/kidas-website\/dev\/?p=7680"},"modified":"2023-01-30T22:16:28","modified_gmt":"2023-01-30T22:16:28","slug":"what-is-safer-internet-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dev.getkidas.com\/kidas-website\/dev\/what-is-safer-internet-day\/","title":{"rendered":"What is Safer Internet Day & How Can I Keep My Child Safe?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This year marks the 20th<\/sup> Edition of Safer Internet Day, which seeks to make the internet a safer spot for kids.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When Safer Internet Day launched in 2004, the cyber world looked differently than it does now. Mark Zuckerburg was just launching a little website called Facebook. Steve Jobs was still several years from launching the iconic iPhone. Internet cafes were popular, especially with college students, who maybe didn\u2019t own their own laptop or PC, and internet-enabled phones weren\u2019t quite a thing yet. Napster was the most common way for internet users to access and share music. And, most mind-blowing of all, perhaps, is that Amazon, established and growing already, was still a site that most people visited largely to buy little more than multimedia: books, CDs (yep, those were still popular in 2003!), DVDs and the like. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s safe to say that the world has come a long way since 2003. And the internet is no exception! Kids these days, like the rest of us, are super connected. The internet is a place where they can connect with family members, play video games, use social media, get help with their homework, shop for anything under the sun and so much more. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But all of the connectivity of the internet, as awesome as it can be, also comes with a slew of unwanted side effects. It allows our kids access to strangers and can enable them to be coaxed into poor decision making. It can put them at-risk of being contacted and stalked by adults (or other kids) who intend to cause them harm, both physical and mental. It can encourage them to engage in stupid and sometimes harmful (and illegal!) pranks. And it can lead to repercussions that have real-world consequences beyond what we see on the screen. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The birth of safer internet day<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Safer Internet Day<\/a>, which began in 2004, was started as an initiative of the EU SafeBorders project. In 2009, Safer Internet Day launched internationally and is currently recognized in more than 180 countries. Safer Internet Day is celebrated on the second day of the second week of the second month of the year. This year, Safer Internet Day is on February 7. The goal of Safer Internet Day is to raise awareness about concerns that affect the cyber world, such as cyberbullying<\/a> and social networking.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How you can get involved<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There are a number of ways that you can get involved with campaigns that support Safer Internet Day\u2019s mission to educate young people about online safety. The website provides a variety of resources to anyone looking to increase awareness about internet safety, including kids, parents, teachers, community liaisons and so on. This year\u2019s theme, Together for a Better Internet, is backed in the US by the National PTA. Be on the lookout for a virtual event you can attend entitled \u201cNo Room for Doom: Helping Your Family Thrive in our Digital Age.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How can you make the internet safer for your child?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When it comes to keeping your child safe online. There are many things you can do. While it sometimes may feel like keeping your kids off the internet is the safest thing to do, it is not at all a realistic approach! With that said, it is reasonable to do the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n