With screens lighting up across the globe and digital devices now woven into the fabric of daily life, Safer Internet Day 2026 arrives with a timely message: the digital world is growing up, and so must our approach to keeping its youngest explorers safe. From classrooms in London to living rooms in Maryland and gaming consoles in Tokyo, this year’s event—held on February 10—spotlights the challenges and opportunities of raising a generation online, especially as artificial intelligence (AI) becomes a central player in young people’s lives.
This year’s theme, as reported by Anadolu Agency, is "Smart tech, safe choices -- exploring the safe and responsible use of AI." The focus is clear: while technology continues to evolve at breakneck speed, society must grapple with the risks and rewards that come with it—particularly for children and teens. Parents, educators, policymakers, and tech companies are all being called to the table to consider how best to protect, educate, and empower the next generation.
According to new research from University College Dublin, young people are becoming increasingly reliant on AI, even as they express distrust and concern about privacy trade-offs. The findings reveal a complex relationship: many youths recognize AI’s potential for misuse, but the convenience and ubiquity of the technology often outweigh their reservations. Alarmingly, the research also found that many children have no parental restrictions on online contact with strangers, leaving them exposed to a spectrum of potential harms.
Tech giants are responding. Google and YouTube, for more than a decade, have rolled out products, programs, and built-in protections aimed at supporting kids and teens online while giving parents the tools they need to make informed decisions for their families. This Safer Internet Day, the companies announced a suite of updates designed to make digital parenting easier and more effective.
Google Family Link’s latest redesign now allows parents to manage all their children’s devices from a single page. The new interface lets them view device-specific usage summaries, set time limits, and adjust controls through a consolidated screen-time management tab. YouTube, meanwhile, has updated its sign-up process so parents can create new kid accounts and quickly switch between profiles in the mobile app, making it easier to tailor content and controls to each child.
For parents worried about endless scrolling, YouTube’s new features allow them to set daily limits on Shorts—and soon, they’ll even be able to set the timer to zero. Supervised kid and teen accounts can now have custom Bedtime and Take a Break reminders, building on the platform’s existing default-on wellbeing protections. For users under 18, Take a Break reminders are automatically triggered every 60 minutes, and uploads are private by default for creators aged 13 to 17. YouTube also uses machine learning for age estimation to ensure the right viewing experience and limits repetitive recommendations of problematic content for teens.
In the classroom, Google’s "Be Internet Awesome" program continues to expand. In August 2025, an AI literacy guide was launched, offering downloadable lesson plans and classroom activities for grades 2-8. The goal? To make foundational AI concepts engaging and understandable for students. The company is also scaling up its Online Safety Roadshows in Canada and the U.S., aiming to educate even more young minds about navigating the digital world safely.
Google’s efforts don’t stop there. The new Guided Learning mode in Gemini acts as a personal AI learning companion, encouraging students to dig deeper into subjects through probing, open-ended questions rather than just providing quick answers. And in 2025 alone, Google’s partners trained over 60,000 caregivers, educators, and parents on online safety tools across the US, Brazil, India, Mexico, the UK, and Spain. Expanded partnerships announced this year—with organizations like the Parent Teachers Association, the National Center for Families and Learning, Education for Sharing, and more—aim to reach 200,000 families and practitioners worldwide.
It’s not just the big tech platforms stepping up. The Maryland State Police marked Safer Internet Day with a broad awareness campaign, reminding the public that children and senior citizens are often targets for online crimes. The police urge parents to monitor their children’s online activities, control app downloads, and stay aware of who their kids are communicating with. For senior citizens, the advice is clear: never share personal information online in unsafe forums, avoid suspicious emails, and never grant remote access to your computer to unknown parties.
Maryland’s Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, a statewide coalition of law enforcement agencies, continues its mission to protect children from computer-facilitated sexual exploitation. The task force not only investigates crimes but also runs community awareness campaigns to educate families and prevent abuse before it happens. For those who encounter child exploitation online, authorities urge immediate reporting to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) or local police. Victims of internet-based crimes such as hacking or identity theft are encouraged to file complaints with the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3).
Gaming, too, is under the microscope. Sony Interactive Entertainment, the company behind PlayStation, highlighted its ongoing commitment to player safety in a blog post celebrating Safer Internet Day. Their approach is built on three pillars: Control, Shield, and Enforce, with player feedback guiding improvements. The PlayStation Family app, which has surpassed one million users, allows parents to set age-appropriate controls, manage playtime, approve requests, and monitor activity—all from a mobile device. Automated moderation technology has been enhanced with machine learning text analysis and image detection, flagging content that may violate the company’s Code of Conduct.
In a show of industry solidarity, Sony reaffirmed its shared online safety principles with Nintendo and Microsoft. And starting this month, the Nudge feature—giving players a second chance to review or edit messages before sending—will be expanded globally to all English-language conversations on the PlayStation app. Wellness resources are also readily accessible, including a global helpline directory and support in specific regions like the U.S. and Japan.
As play and learning continue to merge online, Sony is piloting age verification in select markets, with plans to expand these capabilities over time. The company’s mission is clear: create safe, age-appropriate gaming experiences while respecting privacy and giving families meaningful control.
Yet, as the University College Dublin research underlines, technological safeguards must be matched by education, open dialogue, and a willingness to adapt. Even the best parental controls and moderation tools can’t replace the value of conversations about digital citizenship, privacy, and the consequences of online actions. As the digital landscape becomes more complex, it’s up to everyone—parents, teachers, tech companies, law enforcement, and young people themselves—to make smart tech choices and ensure that the internet remains a place for curiosity, creativity, and connection, not just risk.
Safer Internet Day 2026 is a reminder that while the tools and threats may change, the mission endures: empowering families, protecting the vulnerable, and building a digital world where everyone can thrive.