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Safer Internet Day 2017 showcases the power of image in today’s digital youth culture

Research by UK Safer Internet Centre highlights the positive and negative impact of online images and videos on young people

The majority of children (84%) aged 8-17 have shared a photo online, with 1 in 6 doing so in the last hour

4 in 5 young people have been inspired by an online image or video to take positive action

But more than 1 in 5 have been bullied with images or videos online and 70% have seen images and videos not suitable for their age

Findings come as Safer Internet Day calls on communities to ‘Be the Change’ and unite for a better internet

To mark Safer Internet Day 2017 young people across the UK are joining Government ministers, celebrities, industry figures, schools and police services to inspire people to ‘Be the Change’ and unite for a better internet today. A new study commissioned by official organisers of the day, the UK Safer Internet Centre, explores the power and influence of images and videos in digital youth culture, highlighting the positives and potential risks, as well as identifying the key skills young people need to navigate today’s online world.

Safer Internet Day is celebrated globally in February each year to promote the safe and positive use of digital technology for children and young people. Over 1,000 organisations are supporting the day, including former Olympic gymnast Beth Tweddle, the BBC, BT, Sky, O2, Vodafone, Lloyds Banking Group, Microsoft, Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram, Google, NSPCC, Premier League football clubs and the UK Government, as well as police services, charities and schools across the UK, who are all coming together to deliver a range of inspiring activities. They’ll be joining hundreds of individuals supporting the #SID2017 social media campaign to inspire positive action, which is set to reach over 5 million with a mass tweet at 8.30am today.

Power of Image
New research launched to mark Safer Internet Day reveals that images and video play a central role in young people’s digital lives and are powerful tools of communication, selfexpression and creativity. The majority (84%) of 8-17-year-olds have shared a photo online, rising from 73% of 8-12-year-olds to 95% of 13-17-year-olds. In the last hour, 1 in 8 young people (12%) surveyed said they had shared a selfie, almost 1 in 3 had used YouTube (31%), 1 in 4 had used Snapchat (25%), and more than 1 in 5 had used Instagram (22%).

Encouragingly, young people are using the power of image to make a difference: 4 in 5 young people (80%) said that in the last year they have felt inspired by an image or video online to do something positive. Furthermore, two thirds (67%) have posted an image or video on the internet for a variety of positive reasons, including to support friends (40%); to share something interesting with others (31%); and to encourage others to do something positive (17%).

However, while many of their experiences were positive, many young people are having negative experiences online:

Almost 2 in 5 (38%) have received negative comments on a photo they have posted; this can have a real impact on young people’s expression, as 2 in 5 (40%) said that they sometimes don’t post images because of worries about mean comments.

More than 1 in 5 (22%) of 8-17s said that someone has posted an image or video to bully them.

70% of 8-17s said they have seen images and videos not suitable for their age in the last year.

Almost half (45%) of 13-17-year-olds have seen nude or nearly nude photos of someone they know being shared around their school or local community.

Magnified pressures
Our image-focused digital culture can mean young people face pressures, including body image concerns. According to the study, on average young people take 12 selfies before they are happy to post one online and 43% said they worry about how attractive they look when they share photos online. Furthermore, 45% have used a filter in the last year to make themselves look better. In particular, the study identified these trends mostly amongst 13-17 year old girls: almost two-thirds (61%) of them worry about how attractive they look when sharing photos online and early half (47%) of them have felt sad about their appearance after seeing a particular image or video online.

Risky behaviour
The study also highlighted the need for young people to better understand privacy controls when sharing images and videos. Over half (56%) of young people aged 8-17 years said they have shared images or videos on a public social media profile, with almost a third (31%) saying that most of the photos they share are on a public profile that can be seen by anyone.

Whilst just over half (51%) said they always think about what personal information they could be sharing before they post a photo or video online, nearly a third (30%) of 8-17 year olds have shared a photo they wouldn’t want their parents or carers to see. Almost a quarter (23%) said they don’t know how to control who can see what they post on social media sites.

More worryingly, the majority of young people have shared an image or video with a stranger: 65% of 8-17-year-olds have shared images or videos directly with people they only know online, with more than a quarter (27%) saying they have done so in the last day. Despite this, nearly 2 in 5 (38%) say they worry about losing control of an image they have shared online.

The research also emphasised the importance of developing young people’s critical thinking skills when using the internet. Although the findings revealed nearly three quarters (70%) of young people surveyed agree that images and videos can be misleading and don’t always tell the full story, 48% said they are more likely to trust something has happened if they see an image or video of it.

Safer Internet Day 2017 in action
To explore the power and influence of images in young people’s digital lives the UK Safer Internet Centre has delivered a range of activities including:

Schools across the UK are using the Education Packs and SID TV films to empower young people to use images and videos safely and positively.

Young people across the UK have been taking part in a youth photo campaign to create engaging photos to explore the power and influence of images in their lives, with images being exhibited at youth events across the UK today and in an online gallery.

People across the UK have been joining the #giveasmile social media campaign to use the power of emojis and selfies to help make the internet a more positive place.

Will Gardner, a Director of the UK Safer Internet Centre and CEO of Childnet, said about the day:

“It is fair to say that in 2017 the internet is powered by images and videos. This can magnify the risks and pressures that young people face, while also offering fun new opportunities for self-expression and creativity.”

“Today’s findings remind us that with an ever-changing landscape, it is more important than ever to equip young people with the skills, knowledge, confidence and resilience to communicate using images and videos responsibly and positively.”

“This Safer Internet Day young people around the UK are uniting to inspire a better internet. We need to harness this enthusiasm and empower them to ‘Be the Change’ and use the power of image to help create a better internet.”

Minister for Online Safety, Tracey Crouch, said:

“The internet has provided young people with some amazing opportunities, but one of our top priorities is protecting them from risks they might face online. The UK is a world leader in internet safety, and measures in our Digital Economy Bill will be instrumental in better protecting children from harmful content. But there is still more to do, and Safer Internet Day is a fantastic reminder that we all have a part to play in making the online world a safer place for our children to discover, explore and enjoy."

Minister for Vulnerable Children and Families, Edward Timpson, said:

“The internet is a powerful tool that gives children and young people many fantastic opportunities - but protecting them from the risks they might face online or on their phones remains absolutely vital. That's why I'm pleased to be able to support Safer Internet Day again this year, and look forward to hearing how schools and pupils take part.”

“At the Department for Education, we're continuing to work hard to make sure that young people, parents and teachers, are actively involved in promoting safe online practice, and we've been providing training and resources to support teachers in delivering the new curriculum, which includes e-safety.”

For more information about the activities taking place to celebrate Safer Internet Day, plus resources and advice for young people, parents, carers and teachers, visit the UK Safer Internet Centre website, www.saferinternet.org.uk.

Tuesday 7th February is Safer Internet Day. Celebrated globally and coordinated in the UK by the UK Safer Internet Centre the campaign sees hundreds of schools and organisations join together to raise awareness of online safety issues and run events and activities right across the UK.

Each year has a different focus and for 2017, the theme is ‘Be the change: Unite for a better Internet. Schools, companies, police services, charities and other organisations across the UK are invited to get involved in the campaign to inspire the safe and positive use of technology.

Join us on Thursday 2nd February for a Free webinar

The SID campaign will create a huge buzz right across the UK and globally! There will be national youth events, activities in schools across the UK, media coverage, a day of trending on social media, companies will spread the word to customers and employees, as we all aim to reach as many children and families across the UK as possible.

The impact of the Safer Internet Day activities must also be reinforced with ongoing activities throughout the year. An ethos around online safety needs to pervade through the school all year round with initiatives to engage students and stakeholders on the safe use of technology. The schools that tick their e-safety box on Safer Internet Day and do nothing for the rest of the year are doing a great disservice to their pupils.

Getting the Most of SID2017 - Free Webinar, Thursday 2nd February
This year, we have joined forces with Tim Pinto, E-safety Consultant, formerly of the Yorkshire and Humber Grid for Learning and current member of the Education Advisory Board of CEOP to bring you a free webinar.

The live webinar will give you the opportunity to ask questions and find out about resources to help you make the most of the event.

There will be 3 sessions through the day, each offering advice on resources, lessons, policies and ideas for developing activities that can be embedded into the school timetable.

This series of webinars has now been completed. A recording of the afternoon session will be available to download shortly.

Safer Internet Day 2017 set to be biggest yet

Safer Internet Day is the UK’s biggest campaign to inspire children and young people to ‘Be the change’ and use technology positively and responsibly.

Activities from films and a photography project, to lesson plans and presentations, schools are encouraged to deliver engaging activities for Safer Internet Day and empower their students, staff and parents and carers to use technology safely, positively and responsibly.

Safer Internet Day 2017
On 7th February 2017, Safer Internet Day will be celebrated globally with the slogan ‘Be the change: Unite for a better internet’ with millions of people around the world uniting for a better internet.

Coordinated in the UK by the UK Safer Internet Centre the celebration sees hundreds of schools and organisations get involved to help promote the safe, responsible and positive use of digital technology for children and young people.

The Safer Internet Day 2016 campaign reached 40% of all UK children, with schools across the country running whole school activities, lessons, holding parent sessions or getting involved in the social media campaign.

How can schools get involved?
Schools across the UK can get involved in a number of ways:

• Engage students by running assemblies or class activities – or join the SID2017 photography campaign to empower your students to create engaging images that communicate a message.
  
• Reach out to parents and carers by running a session or sharing information.
  
• Showcase what you are doing to support the day by joining the supporters list and sharing on social media.
  
• Join the social media campaign – find out how to get involved in the biggest global campaign about the safe use of technology and use the #giveasmile templates to encourage your pupils to create their own emoji or share positive messages.

The impact of Safer Internet Day involvement
Engaging in Safer Internet Day can have a hugely positive impact. Last year, out of those children and young people who had heard about or engaged with Safer Internet Day, 87% said that as a result they felt more confident about what to do if they were concerned about something online. This year already 300 schools have joined the official supporters list for Safer Internet Day 2017 and it looks set to be the biggest Safer Internet Day yet.

As Will Gardner, Director of UK Safer Internet Centre, said:

“Safer Internet Day is a moment in the year where children and young people, parents and carers and schools can all come together and talk openly and honestly about the positives of the internet as well as the potential risks.

“With an ever-changing landscape, it is more important than ever to equip young people with the critical thinking skills they need to navigate the online world.”

E-safety Support - SID2017 Competition
Don't forget to take part in our annual SID competition. To get involved, all your pupils have to do is come up with a positive e-safety acronym using the words CHANGE or UNITE - inspired by the SID2017 theme, Be the Change: Unite for a better Internet.

This competition is open until midnight on February 6th 2017. Find out more