"Internet Awareness Program"

"Internet Awareness Program"

With hands-on activities

October 2024 – June 2025

Total duration of training & implementation: 80 hours

Free for educators

"The digital world should be open for children to learn and play safely, and children should be aware of how the digital world evolves and how governmental regulations are implemented."
— Philip Jaffé, Professor of Psychology, Committee on the Rights of the Child <https://socialpolicy.gr/2020/05/%ce%b4%ce%ae%ce%bb%cf%89%cf%83%ce%b7-%cf%84%ce%b7%cf%82-%ce%b5%cf%80%ce%b9%cf%84%cf%81%ce%bf%cf%80%ce%ae%cf%82-%cf%84%ce%bf%cf%85-%ce%bf%ce%b7%ce%b5-%ce%b3%ce%b9%ce%b1-%cf%84%ce%b1-%ce%b4%ce%b9%ce%ba.html>

Educational Framework – Internet Safety Training

Children’s digital lives raise new and significant questions about how certain rights can be effectively recognized online. Lawmakers and policymakers have struggled to respond adequately to the impact of the digital environment on children’s lives and to leverage digital media to fulfill the full spectrum of children’s rights in the digital age.

While the Internet offers great opportunities for children, it also poses risks. Digital technologies and the ways children use them have changed dramatically, with most children now using smartphones daily and spending almost twice as much time online as they did a decade ago (EU Kids Online 2020).2020 https://www.lse.ac.uk/media-and-communications/assets/documents/research/eu-kids-online/reports/EU-Kids-Online-2020-10Feb2020.pdf Modern devices provide benefits, allowing children to interact, learn, and entertain themselves online. However, these advantages come with risks, such as exposure to misinformation, cyberbullying, and harmful or illegal content, from which they need protection. With the EU’s new strategy for a better Internet for children, equipping them with the skills and tools to navigate the digital world safely and confidently is essential.

The proposed program, "Connect & Stay Healthy: It’s Your Right," is an Internet awareness program that focuses on the Internet’s impact on health, including addiction, bullying, social isolation, and the importance of respecting personality, privacy, confidentiality, and personal data. The ultimate goal of the program is to ensure the protection, empowerment, and respect of all children online.

This program draws on the extensive experience of the University of Patras’ Museum of Science and Technology and the Prevention Center of Achaia “Kallipolis,” aiming to provide reliable information and training for primary school educators on Internet-related issues.