Hakom - Croatian Post and Electronic Communications Agency

ZAGREB, January 29, 2018 - New, redesigned brochures on the protection of children and teenagers on the Internet, published in the editorial office of the Croatian Regulatory Authority for Network Industries (HAKOM) were sent to all addresses of all elementary schools in the Republic of Croatia in order be distributed to the fifth grade students on the Safer Internet Day on February the 6th. The brochure entitled "How to Protect a Child in the World of Internet, Network Technologies and Mobile Phones" contains practical and useful tips on Internet dangers and security, privacy and personal data protection, the way of behaviour and responsible use of social networks and it a part of HAKOM's programme with the aim to inform children and parents cooperating with the Ministry of Science and Education. The programme is designed to deliver a sufficient number of printed copies to the entire generation of fifth grade students, each year. The aim is to take them home and discuss it together with their parents. Presentation of the second edition of  HAKOM’s brochure will be held on the occasion of Safer Internet Day.

The 2017/2018 school brochure is complementary to the previous brochure, adapted to the current level of network technology development and social networking trends including the Internet security guidelines, virtual world behaviour rules and cyberbullying prevention instructions. The brochure is consisted of useful advice for parents as well as the results of the first national comparative research on child safety on the Internet, which was conducted in September and October last year as a part of the EU Kids Online project. The survey covered 1,000 children aged 9 to 17 and their parents / guardians. The focus of the research was on the benefits and risks of using the Internet in order to define the level of Internet usage depending on the age and the socioeconomic characteristics of children aimed at better understanding the role of parents, teachers and the environment in protecting children from threats on the Internet.