CBBFC News

Safer Internet Day 2017

Safer Internet Day 2017 will be celebrated globally on Tuesday 7 February with the slogan ‘Be the change: Unite for a better internet’.

Coordinated in the UK by the UK Safer Internet Centre the celebration sees over 1,000 organisations get involved to help promote the safe, responsible and positive use of digital technology for children and young people.

The day offers the opportunity to highlight positive uses of technology and to explore the role we all play in helping to create a better and safer online community. It calls upon young people, parents, carers, teachers, social workers, law enforcement, companies, policymakers, and wider, to join together in helping to create a better internet.

On Safer Internet Day the BBFC will promote its new tablet app, BBFCinsight information and new Rate-A-Trailer resources available on the CBBFC website for children. Rate-A-Trailer aims to help children understand BBFC ratings and Classification Guidelines, while child-friendly BBFCinsight on CBBFC lets children find out about classification issues in a film and choose content that is suitable for them.

David Austin, Chief Executive, BBFC said: "Children are increasingly enjoying and exploring content online, be it films, TV programmes or music videos. Ensuring children are protected online and providing them with the tools they need to make informed, age appropriate decisions about what they watch, is at the heart of the BBFC's work. We also work with Mobile Network Operators to ensure their filters keep children protected from online content accessed on mobile devices that we would age rate as only suitable for adults.

"It is very encouraging to see children working together to help make the internet a positive and safe place for them to watch, share, enjoy and create content. Supporting Safer Internet Day is a fantastic way to highlight the work being done by organisations, and by children, to ensure the internet is a positive and safe environment for children. We will be encouraging children and their parents to access our CBBFC website to see child-friendly BBFC insight, and reminding parents to download our free BBFC app, to ensure they have access to age ratings and BBFCinsight guidance for the films and video-on-demand content they want to watch online."

Will Gardner, Director of the UK Safer Internet Centre, says:
“Safer Internet Day is a moment in the year where everyone across the UK can unite to celebrate the internet and make it a better place. Whether you are a young person, parent, carer, school or organisation, we can all ‘be the change’ and take positive actions to make the internet a better place. We have seen record numbers of organisations pledging their support for the day making it the UK’s biggest campaign to inspire children and young people to use technology safely and positively. It is this collaboration that helps to ensure Safer Internet Day has such a positive impact, reaching 40% of UK children in 2016 and growing year on year.”
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For more information on the activities taking place to celebrate Safer Internet Day, visit the UK Safer Internet Centre website.