Source: UK Internet Centre (UKIC) published on this site Tuesday 6 January 2026

Safer Internet Day 2026 will take place on 10 February 2026 with the theme “Smart tech, safe choices – Exploring the safe and responsible use of AI.” This year’s campaign highlights an issue that has rapidly become a global discussion, how can we use artificial intelligence safely and responsibly?
It’s more important than ever for schools, charities, businesses, and community organisations to come together to raise awareness, share good practice, and help people of all ages make safe, informed choices online. Here’s how you and your organisation can get involved, and why your support matters.

The best way to get involved with Safer Internet Day 2026 is to register your support. By signing up as a supporter, your organisation:

– Joins the national celebration and officially includes you on the Safer Internet Day supporters map.

– Gives you the opportunity to share your planned activities for Safer Internet Day with thousands of other organisations

– Helps to raise awareness around how to stay safe online, especially around AI.

Registration is simple and free via the official supporter registration form. It asks for basic details and a short description of what you are planning to do to celebrate Safer Internet Day.

Register Your Support

Whether you’re an educator, youth worker, librarian, or community group leader, a suite of free education resources is available to help you plan impactful Safer Internet Day activities. These resources cover different age groups (from early years to teens) and are designed to make discussions about AI and online safety engaging and age-appropriate. Materials include:

– Presentation slides and activities

– Lesson plans and assembly guides

– Adaptable content for different settings (schools, youth groups, libraries)

– These resources make it easy to deliver meaningful conversations and learning opportunities tailored to your audience.

To support safe behaviour online, the UK Safer Internet Centre has developed top tips and practical advice for a range of audiences:

Top Tips for Young People – practical, age-appropriate guidance on understanding and using AI and digital tools responsibly.
Top Tips for Parents & Carers – support families with confidence to talk about online experiences and navigate AI tools safely.
Quizzes for Learners – fun, interactive quizzes for ages 7–11 and 11–14 to test online safety knowledge and spark conversations.

These assets are ideal for use in classrooms, clubs, or at home, helping to reinforce your Safer Internet Day activities in a fun and accessible way.

Organisations can host a range of Safer Internet Day activities, such as:
Workshops or assemblies exploring digital wellbeing and safe tech use
Interactive sessions on AI – what it is, how it works, and how to use it safely
Community or parent workshops to build understanding and confidence around online safety.

Once you’re registered:

– Share your support across your websites or social media.
– Share your activities on social media using official the official hashtag #SaferInternetDay.
– Encourage partners and other networks to join and support the cause.

Every organisation, no matter how big or small, plays a fundamental part in building a safer internet environment. Help us make Safer Internet Day 2026 one to remember. Register your organisation’s support today and help inspire safe, confident and informed technology use across your community. Together, we can make the internet a better place for everyone.

The SAFEcic Office will close at 17:00 on Tuesday 23rd December, and reopen at 09:00 Monday 5th of January.

Emails and answerphone messages will be monitored, but responses may not be as rapid as normal.

All here at SAFEcic wish everyone a peaceful festive break.

Source: Department of Health and Social Care published on this website Monday 5 January 2026 by Jill Powell

Kids will be protected from exposure to junk food advertising on TV and online as new regulations come into force to help tackle childhood obesity.

From today, adverts for less healthy food and drinks will be banned on television before 9pm, and online at all times.

This decisive and world-leading action by this government is expected to remove up to 7.2 billion calories from children’s diets each year, reduce the number of children living with obesity by 20,000 and deliver around £2 billion in health benefits over time.

Evidence shows advertising influences what and when children eat, shaping preferences from a young age and increasing the risk of obesity and related illnesses. The ban targets the media children and young people use most at the times they use it.

At the start of primary school, 22.1% of children in England are living with overweight or obesity and this rises to 35.8% by the time they leave. Tooth decay is the leading cause of hospital admissions for young children (typically ages 5-9) in the UK.

Minister for Health, Ashley Dalton said:

We promised to do everything we can to give every child the best and healthiest start in life.

By restricting adverts for junk food before 9pm and banning paid adverts online, we can remove excessive exposure to unhealthy foods - making the healthy choice the easy choice for parents and children.

We’re moving the dial from having the NHS treat sickness, to preventing it so people can lead healthier lives and so it can be there for us when we need it.

This government has worked closely with health campaigners and industry leaders to find the right balance which combines our commitment to raising healthy kids and economic growth. It’s in everyone’s interest that parents and children can make healthy choices and we thank food and drink companies for getting behind these restrictions voluntary since October ahead of them taking legal effect today.

Previous interventions, such as the Soft Drinks Industry Levy resulted in businesses reformulating to make products healthier, and the measures coming into effect today have already had a similar impact, driving the development and promotion of healthier options.

This change is part of a range of measures the government is taking to lift children out of poverty and help give them the best start in life.

To tackle obesity and improve diets, this government has introduced the Healthy Food Standard to make the average shopping basket of goods healthier, and we’re giving local authorities the power to stop fast food shops setting up outside schools.

Colette Marshall, Chief Executive at Diabetes UK, said: 

“With type 2 diabetes on the rise in young people, the need to improve children’s health in the UK has never been greater. Obesity is a major risk factor for type 2 diabetes, and the condition can lead to more severe consequences in young people – leaving them at risk of serious complications like kidney failure and heart disease.

“The long-awaited move to restrict junk food advertising – along with other measures such as mandatory healthy food sales reporting for businesses and the extension of the Soft Drinks Industry Levy – can help protect the health of our children, creating a future where conditions like type 2 diabetes can be prevented in young people.”

The Soft Drink Industry Levy will be extended to cover more products, including sugary milk-based drinks – and we’re helping to further improve kids’ diets by banning the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks to children under 16.

In December, the Prime Minister announced parents could save up to £500 a year on baby formula thanks to new government measures aimed at reducing household costs and easing the cost of living for hard-working families.

This government has also introduced supervised toothbrushing for three to five-year-olds to protect those in the most deprived communities from tooth decay.

Our landmark Tobacco and Vapes Bill, meanwhile, will break the cycle of addiction and stop the next generation getting hooked on nicotine. It will also halt the advertising and sponsorship of vapes, limiting their packaging, flavours and displays which lure young people in.

These measures combined with the junk food ban mark the 10 Year Health Plan’s shift towards prevention and significant progress towards the government’s our pledge of raising the healthiest generation of children ever.

and reduce people’s risk of cancer in the future.

Source: Home Office published on this website Friday 18 December 2025 by Jill Powell

The next generation of girls will be better protected from violence and young boys steered away from harmful misogynistic influences, under sweeping new measures announced by the Prime Minister. 

The plans unveiled today will focus on prevention and tackling the root causes of abuse, and come as the latest stats show that nearly 40% of teenagers in relationships are a victim of relationship abuse and over 40% of young men hold a positive view of Andrew Tate.

Under the £20 million package, teachers and families will be empowered to address these harmful attitudes and behaviours head on, with young people taught to identify positive role models and challenge unhealthy myths about women and relationships.

This is just one part of the government’s strategy to tackle violence against women and girls, deploying the full power of the state in the largest crackdown on violence against women and girls in British history.

Teachers will get specialist training on how to talk to pupils about issues like consent and the dangers of sharing intimate images, with experts brought in to pilot new approaches. This will be backed by pioneering research identifying the most effective way of teaching young people these crucial lessons.

Building on changes already announced to arm children against disinformation, fake news and conspiracy theories on social media, all secondary schools in England will be required to have a strong offer to educate students about healthy and respectful relationships, with every child getting access to this by the end of this Parliament.

Tackling the most worrying attitudes as early as possible, schools will also send high-risk individuals to get the extra care and support they need, focused on challenging deep-rooted misogynist influences. We will move quickly to deliver what works – a specific pot of money will be used to look specifically at how to prevent the most harmful sexual behaviours. A new helpline will be launched to help young people concerned about their behaviours to get the help they need.