Telenor and Bulgarian Safer Internet Centre sign a partnership agreement

On the occasion of the International Safer Internet Day, Telenor will continue its educational campaign dedicated to the safety of children online. The initiative is held together with the Bulgarian Safer Internet Centre. Telenor Chief Executive Officer Mr. Stein-Erik Vellan and the Executive Director of the Applied Research and Communications Fund, which coordinates the activities of the Bulgarian Safer Internet Centre, Mr. Nikolay Badinski signed a partnership agreement.

At a special event today, Telenor will award the children who received trainings on safer internet in five junior police academies across the country, and then successfully passed the knowledge to their peers. The cyber scouts will receive certificates and tablets by the company and will also have the opportunity to learn about the development of digital technologies and to exchange ideas with experts in the field.

‘Ensuring safer internet is one of Telenor’s key priorities in the corporate responsibility area on a Group level and we do various initiatives related to this topic in all the countries where we operate in. Our efforts are aimed at education but also at prevention of online risks‘, – Mr. Vellan said.

Telenor’s campaign aims to raise public awareness of children, parents and teachers on the main risks of using Internet and ways to overcome them. As part of the initiative, Telenor together with the Safer Internet Centre will hold series of trainings for fifth-graders in different cities across the country. Students who attend the educational activities will have the opportunity to gain knowledge and practical skills on Internet safety, which they will then pass to their peers. The most active and successful cyber scouts will receive prizes.

As part of this year’s campaign, a national survey on the use of digital technologies by children aged 0 to 8 years will be held. The study will not only outline the current trends in the use of smart devices by little children but will give advices to parents, teachers and educators on the issues related to online safety and basic types of online harassment.

According to a 2015 European study on penetration of digital technologies, children begin to actively use smart devices from 3-4 years of age. Tablets and smartphones are the most popular devices among them, followed by laptops and desktops. Technologies are used mainly for fun and games but children earlier begin to communicate in social networks and chat programs like Facebook, Skype and Viber. On the other hand, parents rarely impose certain rules for the use of Internet and digital technologies and are not aware of all potential online risks. This determines the need for additional surveys and materials on the topic, which will prepare parents, society and the educational system for the challenges of the digital future.

As a socially responsible company and mobile data provider, Telenor actively supports the initiatives related to ensuring the safest internet experience possible. At the end of 2014 Telenor became the first telecom in Bulgaria which launched a filter that blocks web domains containing child sexual abuse materials. In 2011 the company supported the launch of the first Bulgarian Online Safety Helpline which provides professional consultations and support to young people on the issues of Internet safety.

More information on the company’s initiatives dedicated to the safety of children online is available here: http://www.telenor.bg/en/corporate-responsibility/society-0