Safer Internet Day/Month 2023

• Want to talk about it? Making space for conversations about life online
• Emoji charades – use the power of emojis to help make the internet a more positive place
• Educators and parents – Educational resources ready for download

As from 7 February 2023, the British Council in MEA (Middle East and Africa) will be celebrating Safer Internet Day and supporting this year’s theme “Want to talk about it? Making space for conversations about life online” which aims to promote safe, responsible and positive use of internet technology.

Safer Internet Day is celebrated globally in February each year to inspire a conversation about using technology responsibly, respectfully, critically, and creatively.

To celebrate the event and raise awareness on how to stay safe on the internet, British Council is sharing different resources with schools and teachers, delivering lessons on the topic, and promoting a regional competition, along with other exciting activities through different channels.

To start with, whether you are a school, teacher, youth group, library, parents associations or wider, we are sharing a range of educational resources to help deliver sessions for Safer Internet Day, the following safety materials and information have been specifically designed to support educators in delivering the online safety messages.

Teachers at the British Council will be delivering lessons and activities for all age groups and levels they are teaching this term to raise awareness and start a conversation about internet safety, particularly with young people who may not understand how to stay safe when using the internet. The focus will be creating an online child-safe learning environment for children.

All students throughout the region have been also invited to take part an awareness campaign. Students need to submit videos where they will share tips on how to stay safe online in their own way.

Lastly, all social media users throughout the region can take part in the Emoji charades activity to help make the internet a more positive place. All what they need to do is to choose an emoji of their choice that reflects their personality online or even create their own, then they can post the image on their page with the hashtag:

 #BCSaferInternetDay.

“People may do things online which they can’t or wouldn’t do in real life. At the same time, the internet doesn’t seem as dangerous as walking down a street in a dark, dangerous area. It’s important that parents give it the same attention, and that we all learn how to stay safe online, and that we manage the risks of online abuse in all our activities”. Explains Hana Adel, Regional Manager for the Safeguarding of Children and Vulnerable Adults in MENA at the British Council.

About the British Council

The British Council is the UK’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities. We build connections, understanding and trust between people in the UK and other countries through arts and culture, education and the English language. In 2019-2020 we reached over 75 million people directly and 758 million people overall including online, broadcasts and publications. Founded in 1934 we are a UK charity governed by Royal Charter and a UK public body. We receive a 14.5 per cent core funding grant from the UK government. www.britishcouncil.org