More than 140 countries worldwide mark Safer Internet Day today, as a part of awareness raising about safer technology use.
According to the global data, every third internet user in the world is under the age of 18, and third of them had negative experience in an online environment. Digital technology users around the world are getting younger each day. In some countries, children younger than 15 years use internet at the same level as population older than 25 years.
Cyber bulling, or online peer violence, is one of key problems which Montenegrin internet users aged 12 to 17 years find the most disturbing, according to UNICEF research. Almost 40% of children had at least one unpleasant experience while using the Internet and every second child in Montenegro says that they don't feel safe in virtual world.
„In Telenor, we have been working on child safety online for the eight years through various initiatives. After educating more than 20,000 children about safe internet use, we would like to contribute to digital literacy becoming a part of regular teaching plan in elementary schools. We want teachers and parents to know that they aren't alone in fight for safer online world", said General Manager of Telenor in Montenegro, Sandra Štajner.
Telenor and UNICEF signed a three-year contract for realization of „Digital safety for every child" project, during which children in all Montenegrin elementary schools will gain digital literacy basics.
Within the same project, at the end of the last year, Telenor equipped digital laboratory in elementary school „Štampar Makarije", which will become place for active learning and safe technology use. That is part of the digital pedagogy initiative, as an answer to UNICEF research data, which showed that every second parent consider that school should help children to be digital and media literate.