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Safer Internet Day 2021 reached over half of young people in the UK – Impact report shows

22 April 2021

Safer Internet Day 2021 reached more young people than ever before, with 51% of UK children aged 8-17 hearing about the day, alongside 38% of UK parents and carers.

Launched today (22nd April), our impact report looks at the reach of Safer Internet Day 2021 and the positive impact that it had on children, young people, parents, carers, and teachers.

There were more Safer Internet Day supporters this year, with over 2,100 organisations celebrating the day, running activities and joining in on social media.

What happened on the day?

Safer Internet Day 2021, which focussed on the subject of misinformation online, had a bigger reach than ever before, and that can be seen through some of the key statistics of the day:

  • Over 2.4 million views of Safer Internet Day Films
  • Over 1.5 million downloads of Education Resources
  • The #SaferInternetDay hashtag trended at no.1 throughout the day
  • Over 112,000 young people tested their knowledge with our online quiz
  • Media reach of 126 million people, across outlets including the BBC, ITV News and Sky News Radio

What impact did the day have in schools?

We saw schools across the country taking part in Safer Internet Day celebrations, whether in virtual lessons and assemblies, or in person. We asked teachers who were involved in the day about the impact this had and found:

  • 99% of teachers say Safer Internet Day plays a significant role in their school’s online safety provision
  • 91% said the day helped make pupils more confident about staying safe online
  • 84% of teacher agree or strongly agree that Safer Internet Day is a key opportunity to engage parents and carers with online safety
  • 96% said it helped pupils become more aware about potential risks and pressures when using the internet
  • 31% of teachers said the day led to disclosures about potential safeguarding issues online

Read the full impact report

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