Now that children have greater access to the internet, they have become more vulnerable to its harmful effects too. In the UK, there have been constant discussions about online safety where laws like the Online Safety Bill, discussing the protection of children from online abuse and harm, come into play.
Following the idea of child safety online, Google has announced a 5 million euro commitment through Google.org to NGOs in Europe that work for the internet safety of children. According to the company, these organizations have not only helped children become aware of online risks, but parents, youth workers, and teachers as well. The commitment is part of Google’s philanthropic funding in 2023 and will be divided among the select NGOs through the Be Internet Awesome curriculum which helps spread online safety and media literacy across Central, Northern, and Eastern Europe.
Google is also hosting a summit called the Growing Up in the Digital Age Summit today. The panel is taking place at Google’s Safety Engineering Center in Dublin. The company blog post describes it by saying:
“Through interactive panels, Q&A sessions and keynotes, we"ll discuss the latest developments on designing age-appropriate products, effective tools to help families manage their children"s relationships with technology, and what more can be done — through collaboration, policies, protections and programs — to help keep children safer online.”
Google added that the attendees will include NGOs, content creators, and regulators, among others, and they will be discussingg the safety of youth online at the event.