Beyond Safer Internet Day: Sustaining its momentum

As we prepare for Safer Internet Day (Feb 6th), I understand the countless hours you're investing in planning impactful campaigns, virtual events, and activations. The dedication to enabling a safer online environment is commendable! 🌐💙

However, while you are busy preparing your #SID2024 day activations, thinking about post-event efforts is not high on your to-do list (cause you got a lot on your plate), and the mere mention of it is giving you a headache. It’s also giving me one. I hear ya. But we must do more to engage after Safer Internet Day.

So what could we be doing concurrently as we plan #SID2024 activation? 🚀✨

🙋‍♀️ When choosing panellists for a SID2024 virtual event, consider a blog post by each speaker, especially experts and frontline workers, to get their perspective on the goal or key takeaways from your activation. Remember that voices matter, and so does starting a feedback loop on our online safety efforts. If your speaker is a US company rep, please keep in mind the lengthy process of obtaining corporate communications approval. ✔

👩‍🚒 Make a list of all the ideas you've had that the powers-that-be have rejected. (Podcast interviews, Instagram takeovers, or fireside chats with online safety experts and influencers—they will ask you for those later.) You’ll need those for the upcoming UN days. We work in one of the most broad-reaching fields. We are concerned not only with content moderation but also with wellness and mental health.

👷‍♀️ Take full advantage of SID2024’s theme to collect stories about people (especially youth) and their contexts. Make certain you have their consent. Stories about their lived experiences help encapsulate the nuances that stats overlook: what it’s like to be doing so many things online while they find themselves, the impact of not being able to speak openly with their parents, friends, or guardians, the emotional toll of cyberbullying, the challenges of safeguarding their personal information, and the complexities of maintaining a positive digital presence.
 
I am sure you want to make a real difference in people's lives after just one day (Safer Internet Day). The true impact of digital interactions is deeply personal. People are online for a variety of reasons, and their stories, struggles, and triumphs in navigating the virtual world matter today more than ever. 🌍🤝

#SaferInternetDay #MentalHealth #wellbeing