Safer Internet Day: the challenges of digital threats and online protection

The 21st edition of Safer Internet Day, which will take place on February 6, 2024, aims to raise awareness among young people, their families and the educational community about the issues of digital threats. This international event at the initiative of the European Commission is also an opportunity to discover the means to protect yourself from risks and protect your privacy online.

With cyber threats constantly increasing, educational events like Safer Internet Day are more important than ever. Organized at national level by Internet Without Fear (the European Commission’s digital awareness program for adolescents), it aims to raise awareness, as well as their parents and school educators, of the problems of digital security. The #SaferInternetDay2024 program focuses on the issues of protecting minors online, the problems of cyberharassment, and responsible and secure practices to adopt to improve digital citizenship. Very important objectives so that young people can understand the risks linked to digital uses and know the measures to take to strengthen their safety and that of others.

On Tuesday February 6, and throughout the months of February and March, workshops and conferences on the theme of online security will be organized in schools and on social networks. Turnkey educational kits freely accessible via the Internet Sans Fear website allow teachers and even parents who wish to run workshops with children and/or adolescents on different themes: Taming your social networks, Protecting their digital identity, Preventing cyberharassment, etc. Raising awareness about digital uses and risks is essential to help 13-18 year olds ensure their protection online.

How can new technologies affect the online safety of young people?

New technologies offer extraordinary learning and communication opportunities for teens, but they also carry safety risks. For example, they may be exposed to inappropriate content (violence, pornography, propaganda, disinformation, etc.) that is potentially traumatic. Excessive use of social media by young people also raises many concerns for their safety. Cybercriminals exploit all the data they can find on social networks to carry out social engineering, send personalized phishing messages, or carry out all kinds of scams and psychological manipulation. They do not hesitate to pose as relatives to deceive their victim, particularly via social networks.

The same goes for online video games, which constitute one of the favorite areas of cybercriminals. They take advantage of players’ enthusiasm to try to steal their personal information, in-game items purchased, etc. Generation Z is unfortunately not always aware of the risks associated with sharing personal data online. Many services and applications encourage them to share their location and as much personal information as possible, which can expose them to the risk of cyberharassment and identity theft. Exposure to massive amounts of misinformation of all kinds is also a huge problem for teens’ learning. In this context, awareness is essential to help children develop critical thinking and consult reliable sources to assess the veracity of the information they consult on the Internet and social networks.

What are the ways to protect yourself?

Faced with increasingly numerous, diverse and sophisticated cyber threats, it is recommended to always stay up to date with the latest trends in cybersecurity. This is one of the missions of Safer Internet Day, which encourages Internet users to get involved and act to adopt responsible behavior online. To do this, it is essential to acquire the basics of cybersecurity such as the systematic use of security tools to protect your devices and your digital environment against malware, spyware, Trojan horses, zero-day attacks, etc.

Creating strong passwords using a dedicated password manager to access your online accounts, configuring privacy settings on social networks and applications, or knowing how to detect phishing is part of the measures crucial steps to take to protect your privacy online. Without forgetting parental control systems, secure browsers like Avast Secure Browser, or even identity protections which can considerably strengthen the safety of young people online.

Cyberharassment: adopt responsible and committed behavior

Cyberbullying represents a major problem for adolescents. It is a form of online harassment that usually occurs through social media, blogs, forums, or even sending emails. One or more individuals literally attack their victim by spreading false rumors, potentially humiliating photos or videos, threats, hacked messages, etc. Constantly increasing for several years, this type of harassment can have dramatic consequences for the victims. The legislation provides for very heavy penalties against perpetrators. A hotline number (30 18) accessible 7 days a week from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. has been opened to help victims, but also to allow Internet users who witness malicious behavior or content online to report it anonymously.

Many educational workshops on cyberharassment are organized as part of Safer Internet Day 2024. You should know that many acts of cyberharassment occur following account hacks. Once again, it is therefore very important to respect the basic rules of digital hygiene to secure your various online accounts. In addition to strong passwords, it is advisable to give as little identifiable information as possible when creating a profile on a social network or web service, configure confidentiality settings carefully, never click on a link an attachment to a message whose origin we do not know, use security tools, etc.

Avast One: a range of tools to protect yourself from risks and protect your privacy online

Available in free and paid versions, the Avast One antivirus security suite is an all-in-one service that has many benefits for young users and families. In addition to powerful virus and malware detection engines, it has a wide range of security tools to protect users against different forms of threats: VPN, system optimization and cleaning, identity protection, anti- phishing, anti-spam, advanced firewall or even secure browser allowing you to check a website.

Compatible with the main platforms (Windows, macOS, Android and iOS), Avast One benefits from a modern unified interface which is very easy to use. Its numerous educational contents offer novice users the opportunity to know the role of each function and understand what tasks to carry out to secure their terminal and their data. A valuable help to ensure your daily safety.