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How to get involved in Safer Internet Day 2026

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.

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.

Brand new resources on AI available for Safer Internet Day 2026

Source: UK Safer Internet Centre (UKSIC) published on this website Wednesday 3 December 2025 by Jill Powell

To help you deliver sessions for Safer Internet Day, UKSIC have created a range of free, engaging and interactive resources on this year's official theme: Smart tech, safe choices – Exploring the safe and responsible use of AI

Whether you are a school, nursery, youth group, library, police service, or wider, these educational resources have been specifically designed to support educators in delivering messages about AI that are suitable for all ages.

These free resources are designed for use with 3-7, 7-11, 11-14 and 14-18 year olds, with each resource pack containing presentation slides, activities and also an assembly for the whole school.

Download Resources

Man placed on sex offenders register for 10 years

Source: Cambridgeshire Constabulary published on this website Monday 1 December 2025 by Jill Powell

A man found with more than 270 sexual images and videos involving children and babies has been sent to prison and placed on the Sex Offenders Register for 10 years.

Michael Mitchell’s collection of sexual imagery was discovered when police raided his home in Blenheim Close, Shepreth, South Cambridgeshire, on 5 March last year.

Police searched devices owned by the 24-year-old and found category A images – the worst level of offending – in his recently deleted folder.

Mitchell had images in all categories – A, B and C - on numerous devices and including some showing images of babies being abused.

They also uncovered evidence of Mitchell engaging in sexual communications with a teenager where he threatened to share intimate photos and videos of her to friends and family if she did not perform sex acts and send him recordings.

The teenager refused to co-operate and confided in staff at her school who reported the incident to the police.

Mitchell was sentenced to one year and eight months in prison after pleading guilty at St Alban’s Crown Court to eight offences:

Engage in sexual communication with a child
Cause / incite a girl 13 to 15 to engage in sexual activity - offender 18 or over – penetration
Cause a child aged 13 to 15 to watch / look at an image of sexual activity - offender 18 or over
Disclose / threaten to disclose private sexual photographs and films with intent to cause distress
Make indecent images of children Category A (73 videos and 36 still images)
Make indecent images of children Category B (25 videos and 71 still images).)
Make indecent images of children Category C (six videos and nine still images).)
Possess extreme pornographic image / images portraying an act of intercourse / oral sex with a dead / alive animal (30 videos and 21 still images)

He was also given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) – a means of restricting his behaviour - for ten years. SHPOs also appear on Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks to prevent people working with children and vulnerable people.

PC Shane O’Brien said:

“This case was truly horrific. The child abuse material Mitchell was found in possession of is the worst material I have had to review and grade in more than 15 years in policing.

“His abhorrent behaviour is both indefensible and incomprehensible. The only light in this awful case is the courage of the teenager who I applaud for reporting the incident to school staff.

“Not only was she brave, but she also set an example to all youngsters that speaking out to a responsible adult is the right course of action.

“Thankfully she had great support around her and was able to provide evidence to support the prosecution, leading to an early guilty plea.”

Three women convicted in connection with cruelty and assaults at Sisters of Nazareth homes in Scotland

Source: Police Scotland published on this website Tuesday 2 December 2025 by Jill Powell

Three woman have been convicted in connection with child cruelty and assaults in the 1970s and 1980s at two homes run by the Sisters of Nazareth in Scotland.

Eileen McElhinney, aged 78, Carol Buirds, aged 75, and Dorothy Kane, aged 68, were convicted at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on Friday, 28 November, 2025.

They will be sentenced at a later date.

The offences took place between 1972 and 1981 at children’s homes in Lasswade, Midlothian, and in Kilmarnock.

Detective Inspector Lynn McPhail, senior investigating officer from Police Scotland’s National Child Abuse Investigation Unit, said:

“This was a harrowing and complex investigation, and I hope these convictions bring some form of closure for those who were treated inhumanely.

“I would like to thank the victims for coming forward. It is never easy, even with the passage of time, to talk about these kinds of experiences. The acts carried out by these women towards children they were supposed to be taking care of and protecting, were horrendous. Their behaviour included kicking, punching and pushing children, hitting them with objects, locking a child in a room without food or water, forcing one to eat soap, and making others take cold showers.

“I would also like to thank all the officers who worked on this investigation and commend them for their dedicated work alongside partners to bring these women to justice.

“I urge anyone who has experienced abuse to come forward, regardless of the passage of time. We have specialist officers you can speak to.

“Anyone with information or concerns about child abuse should call us on 101 or contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”

Bishop of Tewkesbury to be new lead safeguarding bishop

Source: Church of England published on this website Monday 24 November 2025 by Jill Powell

The Bishop of Tewkesbury, Robert Springett, is to be the Church of England’s new Lead Safeguarding Bishop, taking over from Bishop Joanne Grenfell who leaves the role at the end of March 2026, when her three-year term ends.

Bishop Robert will work closely with the National Director of Safeguarding, Alexander Kubeyinje, and other members of the National Safeguarding Team which provides specialist expertise on casework, policy development, training, evaluation and survivor participation. The Church of England is continuing to strengthen its safeguarding practices by committing to independent scrutiny and improving delivery. This includes implementing recommendations from the Makin review, the Charity Commission, and insights gained from independent safeguarding audits.

Bishop Robert is currently one of the Deputy Leads for Safeguarding and chairs the Theology and Safeguarding Group. He also chairs the Task and Finish Group, which scrutinises the work the Church is undertaking in response to the Makin review recommendations, and was also chair of the Task and Finish Group set up after the Scolding report.

In his new role, Bishop Robert will chair the National Safeguarding Steering Group, the delegated House of Bishops body responsible for making national safeguarding decisions. Bishop Joanne Grenfell, who is to be welcomed as Bishop of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich in January, will move into the role of Deputy Safeguarding Bishop with responsibility for the ongoing work on Safeguarding Structures, which is a programme of work strengthening Church safeguarding. When she takes up her role as a member of the House of Lords, Bishop Joanne will also speak on safeguarding.

The Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, said, “I am grateful to Bishop Robert, who in his work as Deputy Safeguarding Bishop, has worked closely with victims and survivors on our responses to key recommendations. He is clearly committed to seeking change to our safeguarding culture and practice, and I am delighted that he will bring his long experience in ministry to help lead and promote good safeguarding across the Church.”

Bishop Robert said, “Safeguarding should not be seen as a burden, but embraced with joy for the opportunity it offers to serve others. I have found the role of Deputy Safeguarding Bishop deeply rewarding, and I accept this invitation with a profound sense of calling to contribute to the development of healthy cultures across all areas of Church life. Through my involvement in the Scolding and Makin reviews, I have learned a great deal from victims and survivors—wisdom that will continue to shape and inform all that I seek to do in this new role.”