Safe online with Telenor Sweden

Telenor Sweden launches a long-term initiative to help customers and their families to feel safe on internet.

“When feeling safe people dare to explore and take advantage of the fantastic opportunities that internet brings,” says Telenor’s Lina Sundqvist.

Written: 9 November 2015

In a recent survey among Telenor customers half of the respondents said that they have experienced feeling unsafe online. As a company providing Swedes with access the internet Telenor takes the responsibility to also provide the tools and the knowledge needed to handle life online.

Under the “Safe on internet” umbrella the company plans a number of activities and tools dedicated to different topics. The first one is digital mobbing.

Digital mobbing in focus

82% parents believe that they have good knowledge of their children’s digital lives. Still, the survey conducted by Demoskop for Telenor Sweden among 1000 parents shows that parents have very little knowledge of the new media such as Snapchat, WhatsApp and Kik. Four out of ten parents never or seldom talk with their children about their experiences and habits online, while the same percent of parents thinks that Internet service providers should take more responsibility.

Telenor sparks the conversation between youth and adults

“The dialogue between parents and children is crucial. We always ask our children where they are going as they leave the house, but many parents don’t know the whereabouts of their kids online,” says Lina Sundqvist, responsible for customer safety at Telenor Sweden.

Telenor wants to help parents to spark this important conversation with their children. Net-talk, as they call it, should be a normal part of everyday conversation – just as we ask about our children’s soccer game, or day at school, we should ask what’s happening on the internet.

To support parents in this dialogue, Telenor created a web talk-guide in cooperation with partner Surfa Lugnt. The guide is available for four different age groups and offers an easy way for parents to start talking and engage with their children about life online.

A lasting commitment to safe use of internet

Net-talk guide is just the start. More initiatives helping parents to understand the digital life of children are coming up, such as a parent gaming. While these activities aim to bridge the gap between adults’ and youth’s knowledge and use of internet, the “safe on internet” concept will deal with diverse topics over the time.

During the past decade Telenor introduced a number of initiatives in all of its 13 markets aiming to make internet a safer place for youth. Telenor is taking part in EU initiative “The CEO Coalition to make the internet a better place for kids”. In Sweden, Telenor co-operates with ECPAT, NOA, Surfa Lugnt and Red Cross.