This year’s Safer Internet Day theme of ‘Inspiring change? Making a difference, managing influence and navigating change online’ is a call to action to understand and build a safer internet for the next generation.

Safer Internet Day has become a landmark event in the online safety calendar. It started as an initiative of the EU SafeBorders project in 2004 and was subsequently embraced by the Insafe network. Today, it is observed and celebrated in over 180 countries and territories across the globe.

This Safer Internet Day will again reflect on the European strategy for a better internet for kids (BIK+). Adopted in May 2022, the strategy’s vision is for age-appropriate digital services where every child in Europe is protected, empowered, and respected online, and no one is left behind. ConnectSafely, the official US host of this international event, is sponsoring virtual events and releasing resources for use by schools, communities and families across the country.


‘SuperAwesome has been a proud supporter of Safer Internet Day for eight years. This year’s theme focusing on their insights, desires for change, and the factors influencing their online behaviors highlights the importance of listening to the very generation that shapes the digital future. Building inclusively, safely and respectfully for under-18 audiences is the responsibility of technologists, creators, platform providers and the whole of the ecosystem. This annual celebration is an important reminder of both that responsibility and the opportunity to understand and embrace younger audiences.’

-Kate O’Loughlin, CEO, SuperAwesome

Putting safety into standard practice not only protects and respects young people, but it gives brands more opportunities to focus on creativity and connection. Brands can also take part in online safety initiatives and sharing positive resources.

Learn more about connecting with young people safely online:

  1. Take our KidAware training program to navigate the compliance, regulation and industry standards of the digital kids landscape.
  2. Know your audience by keeping up to date with SuperAwesome’s breakthrough research. Our comprehensive study on Gen Z’s Digital Discovery: Strategies for Brands to Connect is essential reading for understanding teen audiences.
  3. Review programs like SuperAwesome’s SafeFam training for content creators, which helps explain the digital requirements for under-13 and family audiences.
  4. Read CARU’s Metaverse Guardrails to inform the creation of immersive gaming experiences for young people (SuperAwesome contributed our expertise to the Metaverse Working Group).
  5. Support initiatives such as Safer Internet Day, and share their reports, messaging and resources. Celebrating safety is an opportunity to learn about children and young people, and in turn, ensures you are a part of helping to educate and empower them.