THE SAFER INTERNET DAY.

Our school celebrated the Safer Internet Day by an online seminar, attended by almost 300 students, about the themes of e-safety, cyberbullying and other dangers that are hidden in the Net. This international day- that occurs annually on the second Tuesday of February- was introduced by the European Commission in 2004 in order to make the students reflect about the critical use of the new Technologies. As our school has recently adopted an e-policy document, after a project with “Connected Generations”, this webinar was the good occasion for presenting this strategic plan to the students. Experts and teachers  focused the bad effects of an “uncorrect” use of internet: cyberbullying, sexting, grooming, hate speech, internet and online games addiction. Thanks to many projects done by the school previously, I had already dealt with cyberbullying (to bully a person by sending online  messages of threats, insults and offenses), sexting (to send sexy posts or pictures or videos by mobile or computer) and grooming (when an adult enters into emotional connection by the Net with a child or young person for manipulating and abusing him/her), but I had never heard about “hate speech”.It is any kind of communication (speech, writing , behaviour) that expresses hate and can encourage violence against a person or a group for race, religion, sex or sexual orientation. I think the Safer Internet Day and other events and initiatives in the whole February- considered the month for e-safety prevention- should be carried out by all the schools and highlighted by the teachers during their lessons.