Safer Internet Day: 5 tips for safe & effective learning

• Across the world, people of all ages, including young people, are using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to learn
• Learn how to navigate safely, in just a few steps

For the first time, people are reporting that their primary motivation for using Artificial Intelligence (AI) is not entertainment, but learning . Teenagers, in particular, are showing great interest in AI and digital tools that enhance their knowledge and creativity, but they are not willing to discover them on their own. They want guidance, balance and support that will help them navigate safely in the new era of learning.

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To support Safer Internet Day , Google is highlighting five ways in which students, parents and teachers can collaborate to ensure a safe and effective educational experience.

Supporting learning with proper boundaries online and offline

Knowing when to take a break is just as important as knowing when to focus on studying. Safety features, like SafeSearch , are enabled by default for kids, while Family Link can support more “ smart” restrictions, including screen time management, app approval, content filters, and privacy settings. School Hours supports distraction-free learning by limiting device use during school hours or home study.

Strengthening critical thinking in the age of Artificial Intelligence

From History to Computer Science, anyone who delve into a subject must understand the “why” as well as the “what.” Through Gemini’s Guided Learning feature , students are guided through complex problem solving, encouraging critical thinking instead of ready-made answers and shortcuts. Today, nearly three-quarters of people use AI in their education, and the majority of educators believe that AI will improve student outcomes.

Helping teens identify AI content and evaluate information

As sophisticated AI tools become more commonplace, understanding the provenance and broader context of the media we interact with is more important than ever. Best practices, like the SIFT method in the Super Searchers curriculum (Stop, Investigate the Source, Find Better Coverage, and Verify Claims), equip students to critically evaluate information online. The “About this image” feature in Search provides useful broader context about images you encounter online, while SynthID watermarks indicate when an image, audio, or video was created using Google’s AI.

Participation of parents and guardians

Parents can stay involved by understanding the platforms their kids use and working with them to set family rules for learning, socializing, and more. YouTube’s supervised accounts for teens are designed to respect their growing autonomy while ensuring parents are informed by providing them with information about their teen’s activity on their channel, including the number of posts, subscriptions, and comments. This year, Google introduced a set of quality principles that will make it easier for teens to find higher-quality, constructive, and age-appropriate content on YouTube.

Improving digital literacy

The online world is a global community, and good behavior is not limited to the classroom. With cyberbullying becoming a growing problem , it’s more important than ever to teach the basics of digital literacy and online safety. The Be an Internet Hero program provides resources for educators and families to empower young people to be smart, considerate, strong, kind, and brave online.

Access, with the right safeguards, can open up new avenues of learning, creativity and opportunity for young people. For practical tools and resources to help families explore, learn and stay protected in an evolving online landscape, interested parties can refer to the 2026 Family Guide to Online Safety.

Google supports Safer Internet Day ( SID ), a European Commission initiative that brings together stakeholders from around the world to promote a safer and healthier internet. Safer Internet Day is organised as part of the European Commission 's Better Internet for Kids initiative.

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