Our role in the UK Safer Internet Centre

Image showing the Directors of the UK Safer Internet Centre: Emma Hardy, David Wright and Will Gardner

 


The UK Safer Internet Centre (UKSIC) is a national leader in online safety, empowering millions to thrive in a rapidly evolving digital world. Since 2011, our unique partnership between Childnet, IWF, and SWGfL has delivered life-changing support, removed harmful content, and shaped national policies to protect the most vulnerable.

We are unique. We work together to identify threats and harms online and then create and deliver critical advice, resources, education and interventions that help keep children and young people, and adults, safe. We share our best practices across the UK and globally and we work alongside 32 other centres across the European continent.

Key Achievements include:

  • StopNCII.org: Supported over 404,000 cases to prevent intimate image abuse.
  • Safer Internet Day: Reached 53% of UK children (4.18 million) aged 8-17, and 32% of parents (8.3 million) sparking conversations on online safety.
  • Policy Impact: Influenced critical laws, including amendments to the Online Safety Act.
  • Outreach: Conducted 2.5 years of impactful evaluation, supporting millions of children, parents, and professionals.

In 2022, Nominet, the guardian of .UK domain names, stepped up to support the UK’s online safety sector by funding this work until March 2025 following the UK’s departure from the EU. Prior to 2022, we had been funded by the European Commission as the Safer Internet Centre for the UK.

UKSIC is uniquely positioned to deliver lasting impact:

  • Unparalleled Reach: We educate and engage millions of children, parents, and professionals annually. Our Safer Internet Day campaign reached 53% of 8-17 year olds in the UK.
  • Specialised Support: Our hotline and helplines, including the pioneering StopNCII.org, provide life-saving interventions and empower victims. 
  • Policy Leadership: By integrating lived experiences, we influence critical laws like the Online Safety Act. Our policy work is affecting changes in legislation about intimate image abuse, and we successfully campaigned to add Alternative Dispute Resolution provision to the Online Safety Act.
  • Cross-Sector Collaboration: We unite government, industry, and civil society to address complex online safety challenges. We have convened a number of roundtables on sexually coerced extortion with stakeholders resulting in an unprecedented alert sent to schools and the creation of a resource.

UKSIC is the proud coordinator of Safer Internet Day in the UK

Nominet is the guardian of .UK domain names, driven by a commitment to be a force for good in the nation's digital economy and the global internet community. Since 1996, Nominet has operated at the heart of the internet, supporting millions of businesses, organisations and individuals using .UK domains. Through its work and ambitious social impact projects, it aims to transform lives by shaping a safer, more interconnected and inclusive world.