Truth is out there, urge Safer Internet Day organisers

Shetland Public Protection Committee chairman Tam Baillie.

In a world where the line between fact and fiction is being continually blurred, today’s Safer Internet Day explores how young people can separate truth from lies.

This year the campaign, led by the UK Safer Internet Centre, has the theme #AnInternetWeTrust, to explore reliability in the online world with a focus on knowing what to trust online, and supporting young people to question, challenge and change the online world.

Locally, Safer Internet Day is supported by the Shetland Public Protection Committee, which organises events throughout the year including internet safety sessions and youth conferences in Shetland schools, as well as child exploitation and online protection training.

Public protection committee chairman Tam Baillie said: “The place of social media in everyone’s lives has intensified during the Covid-19 pandemic.

“This is especially so for young people, with less social contact than normal as a result of the restrictions that have been in place.

“Everything online isn’t always what it seems and fake news, paid advertising, filtered images and misinformation can make it hard to trust what you read.

“The theme of Safer Internet Day 2021 is about taking steps to help you fact-check information online. If it seems too good to be true, it probably is – but checking the source, getting a second opinion, and trying to understand why someone has posted information are a good start.”

Educational resources for Safer Internet Day 2021 are online for parents, carers and professionals working with children and young people of different ages.