Safer Internet Day takes place in February of each year to promote safer and more responsible use of the Internet, especially amongst children and young people across the world.

The Internet has become part of our children’s world today – they are ‘growing up digital’, with technology embedded in every aspect of their lives. Children are vulnerable, and the cyberspace that they surf in daily should be safe. When accessing the Internet, children could be targets of pedophiles, cyber bandits, hackers and online predators. Adults need to be aware of the many available options to secure their Internet at home. They also need to understand the potential risk areas and be able to educate their children to act responsibly online.

Since its inception, the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority considered Internet Safety as one of its priority work axis. The Authority organized various workshops, projects and activities that evolve around finding solutions that suit best the Lebanese community regarding children online protection. The TRA was also deeply involved in the organization of the Safer Internet Day (SID), an international yearly event that takes place regularly in February to promote safer and more responsible use of online technology and mobile phones, especially amongst children and young people across the world.

This year the event took place on Tuesday 10 February 2015 under the theme "Let's create a better Internet together." Once again, Lebanese youth and children, parents, teachers, non-governmental organizations, and ministries cooperated together to ensure the success of this event and worked together to build a better Internet for everyone.

In line with the event and the importance of protecting children online, several projects have been initiated and developed by the TRA and all involved stakeholders:

1. Over 3 million SMS were sent during the week of February 10th to mobile subscribers directing them to www.e-aman.com thanks to the cooperation and support of the MoT. E-aman, aims at helping Lebanese citizens become more responsible in the cyberspace. It offers comprehensive tips and exhaustive information for parents, youngsters and teachers and helps them bypass Internet risks.

2. Two Facebook pages «National Internet Safety Lebanon» and « Safer Internet Day Lebanon » have been updated to increase awareness about the subject.

3. A Twitter and a Hash account were set for the event @SIDLebanon Hashtag: #SIDLB2015

4. Various interviews on local radios and TVs were conducted.

5. Launching competitions in private and public schools to offer the best ideas about Internet Safety. Winners were announced at the headquarters of Microsoft and were handed trophies and gifts.

The TRA is committed to protect children online and has also taken various measures outside this event to protect children in the cyberspace, mainly by:

• Providing parents with monitoring tools to protect their children while surfing the Internet
• Making various contributions to local, regional and international conferences, Lebanese schools, and workshops dedicated to all aspects of online child protection in Lebanon.
• Coordinating various stakeholders’ efforts around technical, and regulatory issues

To view the press release in full, click here