Page 159 - FerMUN 2020 - Futurecasters Global Young Visionaries Summit, 8th-10th January 2020

During the FerMUN Futurecasters Summit, the special one-day Child Online Protection (COP)
Kids side event gave young children the opportunity to meet, debate and negotiate around
the topic of Child Online Protection. More than 80 Kids aged 8-13 years old, from different

schools in France and Morocco, cam to ITU and discussed online safety issues.
During the first part of the day, the groups debated around four potential COP Mascots. These
have been developed by the children themselves beforehand at the school level. The Kids

negotiated and voted for one of the Mascots and the corresponding story to become the new
incorporation of the COP Initiative. Sangophone, was launched on 11th February on the
occasion of Safer Internet Day 2020.

During the second part of the day, the Kids heard more about the opportunities that the digital
world offers, all by learning how to stay safe online. They participated in training sessions on
‘Basic Skills for online Safety’, led by Action Innocence, ICON and TikTok, and they heard about
the opportunities that the digital world offers while learning behaviours that will help keep them

safe online. A wide range of issues were discussed, including data protection, privacy, online
bullying, harassment and violent or other harmful content.
At the end of the day, the children received a certificate for their successful participation.

Read the article written by Anaëlle Cathelineau:

“Together for a better internet. That’s today’s message on Safer Internet Day 2020. We should
aim to make the Internet a better place all year around, not just one day of the year. We have

to learn skills to protect ourselves online and become digitally literate so that we can enjoy fully
without being harmed – but we need the support of our families, teachers, policy makers and
the industry.

That is why ITU has launched the Child Online Protection Initiative (COP).

Of course, we all know that the Internet and digital technologies have the potential to

transform our lives. We know we can access lots of educational, cultural and economic
opportunities online; I can talk to my friends, watch my favourite TV shows, learn new skills that
will help me find a job in the future, and find ways to help create a better world for everyone.

But too often, us children cannot access these opportunities because the Internet is also a
place where vulnerable people are exposed to the risks of serious harm.

In January this year, I joined about 80 children from four different schools in France and
Morocco at ITU headquarters in Geneva for the COP Kids event. That is where we decided on
the new mascot for the Child Online Protection Initiative.

We all drew one at school and invented its story: where it came from, where it lived, and how

it supported it’s friends in their safe and empowering online experience.

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