Competition launched to encourage young people to make the internet a safer place

We are proud to be supporting Safer Internet Day 2020 today. The theme for the day is ‘Free to be’ and looks at how we identify ourselves online.

The day explores the important and topical subject of whether young people feel free to be themselves online. Looking at how they manage their online identity and the ways the internet could shape how they think of themselves and others.

By opening up conversations around online identity, we want to inspire young people to support each other in being who they want to be. On Safer Internet Day, we aim to help celebrate difference and help to work towards a truly inclusive internet.

To help achieve this, Wiltshire Police Digital Investigations & Intelligence Unit are running a competition to design a social media campaign to promote staying safe online.

Entrants need to record a two minute video explaining what they have planned for their social media campaign and submit it to our judges. For more details including how to enter the competition visit www.wiltshire.police.uk/socialmediacompetition

Young entrants need to live or go to school in Swindon and Wiltshire and can enter individually or in a team of up to four. There are two categories for the competition – children in year six and below and anyone in years 7 to 13.

The entries will be judged by our panel of Communications Officers, Cyber Protect Officers and Cyber Detective Inspectors. The best entry in each category will win a tour of the Wiltshire Police Headquarters and have a version of their campaign ran on Wiltshire Police social media. The deadline for competition entries is 5pm Friday 13 March 2020.

Wiltshire Police Detective Inspector, Gemma Vinton, said “From cyber bullying to social networking, having an online presence is becoming more and more significant to the younger generation. It’s important to raise awareness amongst children and young people, parents, carers and teachers to create a safer and better internet. As such, we’re aiming to help empower everyone to use technology responsibly, respectfully and creatively.”

Police and Crime Commissioner, Angus Macpherson, commented “This is a great way to spread the message of internet safety amongst young people. They are of course our future and as such we need to invest in ways to keep them safe and informed while online.”

More details and useful education resources aimed at specific age groups can be found at https://www.saferinternetday.org/web/sid/about