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Safer Internet Day 2026 Puts AI Literacy at the Center of Child Online Safety Push

Experts call for AI literacy with human-in-the-loop safeguards to counter rising online fraud.

Overview

  • This year’s theme, “Tecnología inteligente, decisiones seguras,” prioritizes teaching safe and critical use of AI to minors, with schools, families, public administrations and tech companies coordinating activities.
  • A 2025 study by UNICEF España, Red.es, USC and CCII involving nearly 10,000 children found early and intensive tech use, some reductions in risky behaviors and persistent challenges in emotional well-being and exposure to harmful content, reinforcing calls for education and evidence-based policy.
  • Galicia’s Plan Integral de Bienestar Digital is highlighted as a regional response that engages computer-engineering professionals to promote balanced, responsible technology habits among young people.
  • Security specialists warn that cybercrime is advancing faster than defenses and increasingly targets technologically savvy users, urging AI-era safety through literacy, ethical limits and keeping humans in charge of key decisions.
  • New guidance and data underline the human factor in risk: phishing and credential misuse drive many breaches, Mexicans spend about 8.5 hours online daily with 3.5 on social media, and child-grooming reports in Mexico totaled 4,966 between May 2022 and July 2024.