Malta Celebrates Safer Internet Day

Today, together with the rest of Europe, Malta is celebrating the Safer Internet Day. This annual event is a European initiative, coordinated by Insafe, the European network of Awareness Centres that promote safe, responsible use of the Internet.

“Connecting generations and educating each other” is the theme aptly selected for this year, which emphasises the importance of the involvement of parents, guardians or other responsible adults, in a child’s online experience, sharing know-how, wisdom and support. 

Recent statistics issued by Eurostat confirm that minors use the Internet more frequently than the older generation. Malta also follows this trend.  By using technology such as the Internet together, adults would become more tech-savvy by learning from minors whilst at the same time, children would be able to learn how to use the internet more responsibly by applying street savvy rules, learnt from their parents, online. 

The Safer Internet Day activities are being organised in Malta under the BeSmartOnline! project and include activities in various schools where a number of productions made by students themselves will be showcased with the intent of exchanging knowledge on the various uses of the Internet and what the students believe are the risks associated with its use. Education materials are also being distributed to all children and their parents. 

In Europe and beyond, numerous activities are organised by national Safer Internet Day Committees to reflect the theme. The 30 national centres in the Insafe network (the 27 EU member states, as well as, Iceland, Norway and Russia) and partners in more than 35 other countries will bring children, young people and adults together in local, regional, national and online events all around the world to reflect on the issue.

The local events for Safer Internet Day will close on the 25th of February with an information day held at The Point between 9:00 and 16:00. Everyone is encouraged to attend and learn more on the importance of this issue and how users can ‘discover the digital world together…safely!’  

More information on the initiative may be found on www.besmartonline.org.mt or www.saferinternetday.org.

Additional Information:

Coordinated by the Malta Communications Authority, the BeSmartOnline! project brings together Agenzija Appogg, the Office of the Commissioner for Children, the Directorate for Educational Services (DES), the Secretariat for Catholic Education, and the Malta Police Force. The partners are working together towards raising awareness and educating minors, carers and educators on the safer use of the Internet. 

Supportline 179, the national helpline, has extended its services to cater for any queries or assistance the public may have on the issue of Internet safety. In addition a hotline has been set up for the project offering support and advice on matters of internet safety and also serving as a channel to report abuse. The hotline can be accessed by visiting www.besmartonline.org.mt and following links to report abuse.   

The project is co-financed by the Safer Internet Programme of the European Union.

Malta Tiċċelebra l-Jum Għal Internet Aktar Sigur

Illum, Malta tingħaqad mal-bqija tal-Ewropa biex tiċċelebra l-Jum Għal Internet Aktar Sigur. Dan l-avveniment li jsir kull sena huwa inizjattiva Ewropea kkoordinata minn Insafe, in-netwerk Ewropew ta’ Ċentri ta’ Għarfien, li jippromwovi l-użu sigur u b’mod responsabbli tal-Internet. It-tema ta’ din is-sena hija “Ngħaqqdu l-ġenerazzjonijiet flimkien u nedukaw lil xulxin”. Din tagħmel enfasi fuq l-importanza tal-involviment tal-ġenituri, tal-gwardjani jew ta’ adulti responsabbli oħra fl-esperjenza online tat-tfal, billi joffrulhom appoġġ u jaqsmu magħhom l-għarfien u l-għerf tagħhom. 

Statistika li nħarġet dan l-aħħar minn Eurostat ikkonfermat li l-minuri jużaw l-Internet aktar ta’ spiss milli jużawh il-ġenerazzjonijiet aktar imdaħħlin fiż-żmien. Dan jgħodd ukoll għal Malta. Jekk l-adulti jagħmlu użu minn teknoloġiji bħall-Internet flimkien mal-minuri, żgur li jkunu jistgħu jitgħallmu ħafna dwar kif jużaw din it-teknoloġija. Fl-istess waqt, it-tfal ikunu jistgħu jitgħallmu kif jużaw l-Internet b’mod aktar responsabbli billi japplikaw regoli bbażati fuq il-prudenza, li jkunu jistgħu jagħtuhom il-ġenituri tagħhom stess. 

L-attivitajiet li qed isiru Malta għall-Jum Għal Internet Aktar Sigur qed jiġu organizzati bħala parti mill-Proġett BeSmartOnline!, u jinkludu attivitajiet li se jsiru f’diversi skejjel, li bħala parti minnhom se jintwerew diversi produzzjonijiet maħluqa mill-istudenti stess, bl-iskop li jsir skambju ta’ informazzjoni dwar l-użi differenti tal-Internet u dwar dawk li fil-fehma tal-istudenti huma r-riskji assoċjati mal-użu ta’ din it-teknoloġija. Se jitqassam ukoll materjal edukattiv, kemm lit-tfal kif ukoll lill-ġenituri. 

Id-diversi Kumitati tal-Jum Għal Internet Aktar Sigur qed jorganizzaw għadd ta’ attivitajiet differenti li jirriflettu t-tema ta’ din is-sena kemm f’pajjiżi Ewropej kif ukoll f’pajjiżi oħra. It-30 ċentru nazzjonali tan-netwerk Insafe (is-27 Stat Membru tal-UE, kif ukoll l-Islanda, in-Norveġja u r-Russja) u sħab oħra minn 35 pajjiż ieħor se jgħaqqdu flimkien tfal, żgħażagħ u adulti f’avvenimenti lokali, reġjonali u nazzjonali, kif ukoll f’oħrajn online, biex jirriflettu dwar din it-tema.

L-avvenimenti lokali għall-Jum Għal Internet Aktar Sigur se jagħlqu fil-25 ta’ Frar, b’jum ta’ tagħrif li se jsir f’The Point bejn id-9:00 ta’ filgħodu u l-4:00 ta’ wara nofsinhar. Kulħadd huwa mħeġġeġ biex jattendi u jitgħallem aktar dwar din it-tema, u dwar kif l-individwi li jużaw l-Internet jistgħu ‘jiskopru d-dinja diġitali flimkien... b’mod sigur!’

Għal aktar informazzjoni dwar din l-inizjattiva, żur il-websajts www.besmartonline.org.mt u www.saferinternetday.org.

Informazzjoni Addizzjonali:

Il-proġett BeSmartOnline!, li qed jiġi koordinat mill-Awtorità ta’ Malta għall-Komunikazzjoni, jgħaqqad flimkien lil Aġenzija Appoġġ, lill-Uffiċċju tal-Kummissarju għat-Tfal, lid-Direttorat għal Servizzi Edukattivi (DES), lis-Segretarjat għall-Edukazzjoni Kattolika u lill-Korp tal-Pulizija ta’ Malta. L-imsieħba qed jaħdmu flimkien sabiex iqajmu kuxjenza dwar l-użu aktar sigur tal-Internet fost il-minuri, il-carers u l-edukaturi.

Is-servizzi tas-supportline 179, il-helpline nazzjonali, ġew estiżi biex jiġu milqugħa l-mistoqsijiet tal-pubbliku rigward is-sigurtà tal-Internet, u biex tingħata assistenza rigward din it-tema. Inħolqot ukoll hotline għall-proġett biex permezz tagħha jiġu offruti appoġġ u pariri dwar kwistjonijiet relatati mas-sigurtà tal-Internet, u biex fuqha jkun jista’ jiġi rrappurtat kwalunkwe abbuż li jsir. L-aċċess għall-hotline jista’ jinkiseb mis-sit www.besmartonline.org.mt, u kwalunkwe abbuż jista’ jiġi rrappurtat permezz tal-links li jidhru fuq is-sit.

Il-proġett qed jiġi kofinanzjat mill-Programm Safer Internet tal-Unjoni Ewropea.