Communications Regulatory Authority (RRT), as the organisation operating the internet hotline “Švarus internetas” in Lithuania, together with SIC partners organised the main SID 2024 event in the library of Kaunas Technological University “The importance of digital hygiene in today's world”.


The Chair of RRT Council Jūratė Šovienė opened the event, attended by students, teachers, educators and librarians. According to her, we start the day by taking two things in our hands - a phone and a toothbrush. So just as we follow dental hygiene, we should also follow digital hygiene if we want to protect ourselves from possible negative consequences. "Just like learning to brush teeth, the role of adults is critically important when introducing a digital tool to a child. Only adults can form appropriate screen-use habits for children. Time in front of the screen, the dangers hidden behind the screen, privacy protection - these are essential things that we have to teach children so that we don't let a Trojan horse into the house," reminds J. Šovienė.

The broader overview of the importance of digital hygiene was presented by Rasa Jauniškienė, the founder of the Digital Ethics Centre. Her presentation included some shocking statistics such as the screen time of some teenagers as well as tips on how to reduce their dependency on technologies and form better habits. The more targeted presentation was given by Pavel Donec, a representative from the Lithuanian Police who shared valuable insights on how to recognise and avoid sexual predators, what steps should be taken to reduce the amount of child sexual abuse and what to think about before opening up to a stranger.

One important aspect of the event was the involvement of the Lithuanian Youth Council (Lithuanian Young Internet Ambassadors). The Youth Council has been working in the previous months to design games that they could play with their peers to learn about the topics relevant to the Safer Internet Centres. The participants of the Youth Council presented their games and demonstrated how to play them with the audience.


The event was also broadcast on YouTube and attracted more than 300 online participants. To date, the video of this event has been viewed more than 2,100 times. Watch the video here.