Ash Ball, a young person in Australia, is working to end cyberbullying as part of the Project Rockit team. Ball, one of the Internet Society’s 25 Under 25 awardees, says he believes that it’s important to empower the younger generation to step in when they see someone being harassed online.
That message is especially important today, which is Safer Internet Day, a call to action to make the Internet safer for everyone.
Linda Patiño is another 25 Under 25 awardee leading the charge. “I was a victim of online harassment, receiving kidnapping and rape threats,” she says. Patiño’s work with the Colombia-based organization Colnodo uses ICTs to promote Internet safety and gender equality. “A tool can be so harmful. I enter this world [of activism] so other girls know they are not alone, that we are creating things to help them get through this. Even though these tools have serious impacts, we are doing good change” in the world.
We all have the power to help make the Internet a more welcoming and accessible place, but Ash Ball and Linda Patiño show that it’s a community effort to do so. No one person can do everything, but we can all do something.
You can join the people who are already making a difference. You can advocate for diversity and inclusiveness so that everyone – especially the most vulnerable – has a voice in how the Internet is run, you can support innovative ways for the next billion to come online, and you can make the Internet more secure by adopting good MANRS and increasing IoT security.
You can become an everyday hero and work towards solutions to make the Internet a safer place for everyone. Learn how you can shape tomorrow!
See what a safer Internet means to other young people around the world!