The National Informatics Centre (NIC) office in Mahendragarh is set to host a district-level program on February 11 to observe Safe Internet Day. The event will occur at the Science Faculty Auditorium Hall of Government College, Narnaul. Deputy Commissioner Vivek Bharti stated that the event aims to educate the public on the importance of internet safety and promote awareness about cyber threats.
Safer Internet Day is tomorrow! 🎉
Supporters are gearing up with interactive games, competitions, and engaging educational activities to promote a safer, more inclusive internet.
Find them here➡️ https://t.co/8cOGuo2UIz
📅 Remember: This year, SID extends throughout February! pic.twitter.com/Q8lUPuRhVp
— Safer Internet Day (@safeinternetday) February 10, 2025
It also aims to provide participants effective tools and techniques to stay safe online. The event will focus on promoting cyber hygiene and enhancing awareness about cybersecurity.
📢 #Teachers & #educators, the Better Internet for Kids (#BIK) initiative offers a FREE #MOOC to help you tackle #cyberbullying, digital addiction & online safety!
🕒 12 hrs total, flexible learning
🔗 Enroll now 👉 https://t.co/uXh4slHydO pic.twitter.com/vUfnpElplt— Safer Internet Day (@safeinternetday) February 9, 2025
Various district departments and all Common Service Centres (CSCs) and Village Level Entrepreneurs (VLEs) have been encouraged to organize similar programs at their respective levels.
This year for Safer Internet Day, learn what Microsoft Education cybersecurity solutions can do to ensure a safer learning environment in your schools.
Head to the blog to read about the different tools.
#MicrosoftEDU #SID2025 https://t.co/eAEjBXKvpN— Microsoft Education (@MicrosoftEDU) February 10, 2025
Activities to spread critical information about cybersecurity for parents and children
These initiatives will include distributing video/audio banners and conducting various activities to spread awareness about cybersecurity and the safe use of the Internet. District Informatics Officer Prashant Kumar noted that Safe Internet Day is observed every year on the second Tuesday of February worldwide. The NIC’s initiative highlights the ongoing efforts to educate and protect the community against the increasing threats in the digital world.
With children spending more time online than ever, parenting and youth expert Richard Ramos is warning families that now is the time to take control of social media before it takes control of their kids.
Ramos, founder of Parents on a Mission
Ahead of Safer Internet Day on Tuesday, February 11, Ramos is calling for a new approach that goes beyond monitoring tools and screen time limits to build trust, awareness, and open conversations about the digital world. “The internet is raising our children, and we cannot afford to be passive about it,” says Ramos, founder of Parents on a Mission.
Suppose parents aren’t setting digital boundaries, educating themselves about online risks, and having ongoing discussions with their kids. In that case, they are handing their children over to an industry that profits from their attention and data as well as putting them at risk of grooming, extortion, coercion, and bullying.
The average screen time for children aged 8 to 12 is 5 hours and 33 minutes per day, while teenagers spend an average of 8 hours and 39 minutes online daily, not including school-related use. Platforms like TikTok are specifically engineered to keep kids scrolling, with highly addictive algorithms and a history of promoting harmful content, including self-harm and eating disorder videos. Ramos encourages parents to start conversations early and keep them going, as digital safety should be an ongoing discussion, not a one-time lecture.
Setting screen time boundaries together helps children take ownership of their digital habits and makes them more likely to follow the rules. Teaching digital literacy and critical thinking skills can help children recognize misinformation, online predators, and the risks of oversharing. Safer Internet Day is observed on the second Tuesday of February every year.
This year, it falls on February 11. This day is dedicated to international education and awareness-raising efforts to empower families, especially children and teenagers, to use technology safely. It is celebrated in more than 100 countries across the globe.
Safe internet day event
Whether we work, learn, play, or scroll online, the internet has become an indispensable part of our daily routine. However, it also comes with significant risks, especially for young people and other at-risk groups.
Alarming statistics show that 70% of Australian adults have had at least one negative experience online, 29% of First Nations children, and 31% of LGBTIQ+ teens have faced online hate speech. In comparison, 45% of kids aged 8-17 have been treated hurtfully online, and 32% of gamers in this age group have been bullied while playing games. Safer Internet Day was conceived in 2004 to address these issues, strengthen international ties and promote global awareness campaigns. Today, more than 100 SID Committees work closely with the Safer Internet Day Coordination Team based in Brussels.
This year marks the 19th edition of Safer Internet Day since its inception as part of the EU Safe Borders project. It was adopted by the Insafe network in 2005, a European network for Safer Internet Centres (SICs). These national centers spread awareness, run educational campaigns, operate helplines, and work closely with youth to ensure a coordinated approach to creating a safer internet.
Beyond online fraud and deceit, the internet increasingly interferes with our personal lives. We are becoming less sociable, less approachable, and overall less engaged. Internet addiction—a prevalent issue—steals our time, attention, and focus, acting as a slow poison to our intellect.
Lower academic performance of children
Parents are worried about the declining academic performance of their children, some of whom experience health issues from losing sleep because of excessive screen time. This year’s celebrations focus on the theme, “Prepare/ Protect/ Thrive: Navigating Algorithms and Influencers.” The aim is to engage parents, teachers, trainers, mentors, doctors, young people, and all stakeholders to consider how algorithms and influencers shape the lives of young people. Learning technology is essential, but so is understanding and using it responsibly.
Dr. Qudsia Gani, Head of the Department of Physics at Govt. Degree College, Pattan Baramulla, J&K, emphasizes the importance of a balanced approach to technology use.
Time, managed effectively, can lead to purposeful and peaceful living. However, children today seem to lack the time management skills that previous generations had. In today’s world, checking the activities of children born into the internet era is crucial.
Parents play a vital role in ensuring that their children do not fall prey to the pitfalls of excessive internet use, steering clear of becoming part of a wasteland of intellectual mediocrity.
