Safer Internet Day 2011

Each year, around the world, Safer Internet Day is celebrated on the second day of the second week of the second month of the year – the next edition falls on Tuesday 8 February 2011. Hundreds of events are organised not only on that day but throughout February to really raise awareness around online safety issues.

Each year the Insafe network chooses a different theme around which most of the activities proposed on Safer Internet Day will be focused, even though some countries may choose to “localise” their initiatives.

On 8 February 2011 the whole Insafe network will once again join forces to build a bigger and better celebration on the theme that has been chosen to mark the 8th Safer Internet Day edition, virtual lives, and around the slogan “It’s more than a game, it’s your life”.


About virtual lives


The topic 'virtual lives' encompasses online gaming – from simple games to MMOGs (Massively Multiplayer Online Game) – and social networking, i.e. the two online activities most popular with Europe’s youth. As such, it will draw attention to all of them, and its key messages will encapsulate opportunities and protection against risks.

Some facts and figures

• Gamers spend on average 8 hours weekly playng online.
  
• Young people sleep 2 to 3 hours less per night than 10 years ago.
  
• In January 2010, 18 million accounts were registered on Second Life.
  
• Facebook reports more than 500 million active users.
  
• Users spend 700 billion minutes on Facebook each month.
  
• 13 million players of World of Warcraft (WoW), the world's largest MMORPG.
  
• MMORPGs generated $1.5 billion in subscription revenues worldwide in 2008, forecast to reach $2.5 billion by 2012.
  
• Up to 250,000 players are simultaneously online on WoW.
  
• Transactions and sales of virtual goods in virtual worlds were estimated at $18 billion in 2009.
  

Messages will address the risks young people run when they deliberately go virtual, for example through playing a MMOG as an avatar, as well as risks elicited when they project their real self onto virtual platforms, such as uploading a video on YouTube.

The focus will be on how the real self lives through the virtual experience. In an MMOG one is truly immersed in a fantasy world. Hiding behind an avatar, players can totally escape into the game. In a social network the line between virtual and real is not so clear. Using a pseudonym will not shield you from exposure to real life behaviors such as bullying, stealing, rejection, etc., and your actions in your virtual life can impact on your real life, meaning that your real self could be misrepresented everywhere and persistently.

Get involved!


Take a stand! By attending or organising an event you contribute to spreading the word.

The celebrations for Safer Internet Day are usually organised around one major central event in each participating country, most of the time a press conference, coordinated by the national Awareness Centre with the help of other national organisations and sponsors from industry in the quest to obtain as much media coverage as possible. Many smaller initiatives are held in other regions of most countries, sometimes lasting for a longer period. All schools, institutions, companies and partners in the field are encouraged to organise their own events and activities on Safer Internet Day.

Support today's events in Guernsey!

"It's more than a game. it's your life"

2 presentations being held at Beau Sejour Theatre: -

1) 3pm - 4:30pm

Protecting your Professional Identity
The future of Mobile Communications
Top 10 e-Safety tips to consider when using your mobile
Current and Future Cyber Threats

2) 7pm - 8:30pm

Keeping your Children safe online
The future of Mobile Communications
Top 10 e-Safety tips to consider when using your mobile




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