Research by Doxa Kids & Telefono Azzurro (2020) shows that 21% of parents fear that their children will encounter content on the Internet that exalts anorexia, self-harm, and suicide; 18%, on the other hand, fear that their children will be exposed to pornographic content. 47% of teachers are afraid that young children are exposed to cyberbullying, while 40% of teachers fear that children will be the victim of grooming.

In order to improve the safety of children online, this December, Telefono Azzurro is launching the Digital Citizenship Programme. The Programme’s objective is to raise awareness about potential risks for children online. Children will be educated to navigate the digital world in a safe way, making the best of opportunities online.

The Programme will include topics such as the following: language awareness and content mastery, online gaming, digital footprint, info-sphere and contents propagation, digital reputation, consent in online relationships, and screen time. The project may reach 10,600 teachers directly and 371,000 children indirectly, via the teachers trained.

First, the Programme focuses on educating teachers. The program includes 21 webinars to train 10,600 teachers on 7 content streams targeted to reach children for the following age ranges: 5-11 years old, 11-13 years old, and 14-18 years old. Second, the objective is peer-to-peer education, by developing an awareness campaign to reach children between 13 and 18 years of age. Finally, the program develops and launches a web platform to host information materials, available to the public.