What is Ctrl+SAFE?

Ctrl+SAFE is a two-year project (2026-2028) co-funded by the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values (CERV) programme of the European Union.

The overall project objective is to foster inter-generational dialogue to help children and the adults who care for or work with them (e.g. teachers, parents/guardians, child and youth care practitioners, etc.) navigate digital technology safely and effectively. By recognising diverse family contexts and understanding children’s needs, the project seeks to empower both children and adults to engage with technology safely, confidently and responsibly.

The project takes a holistic approach to children's safety and well-being online by fostering collaboration and dialogue among children, adults, policymakers, and digital service providers to create safer and more inclusive digital environments. It aims at creating a culture of collaboration between children and the adults who care for them or work with them regarding safe digital practices, with empowered adults providing ongoing support and children involved in the development of solutions and materials for their online safety and well-being.

 

Why is Ctrl+SAFE needed?

Children today spend more time online than any generation before them. The digital environment presents children with vast opportunities for learning, development, and social connection. However, it also exposes them to a range of risks, particularly for vulnerable groups.

Despite increasing awareness of these risks, significant gaps remain in ensuring children's digital safety and well-being, such as:

  • limited digital literacy and skills
  • exposure to online harms
  • gaps in adult support and digital competence
  • lack of tailored support for vulnerable groups
  • low child participation in shaping digital safety tools, policies, and responses
  • weak coordination across stakeholders

How does Ctrl+SAFE tackle these issues?

The Ctrl+SAFE project is designed to respond directly to these identified challenges through capacity-building, meaningful child participation, multi-stakeholder dialogue, and targeted advocacy.

 

 

The project activities taking place in Albania, Italy, Kosovo, Spain and Ukraine will directly target: 25,627 children, 12,928 adults who care for or work with children and 20 digital service providers. Indirectly, the project will reach 105,395 children across the five countries.

The project employs a cyclical methodology that begins with understanding the specific context, actively involves the target beneficiaries and stakeholders in the co-creation and implementation of interventions, systematically gathers and shares knowledge, and advocates for broader change.

 

Specific objectives

  1. To foster collaboration and a holistic approach to children’s rights, safety and well-being online.
  2. To build the capacity of both children and adults who care for or work with children and raise overall awareness regarding online safety and children's rights in the digital environment through a variety of context-specific activities.
  3. To share knowledge and network within the consortium and with a broader range of stakeholders interested in the rights of children in the digital environment.  
  4. To actively engage with key stakeholders and advocate for policy changes that promote a safer and more responsible digital environment for children.

Project partners

The consortium implementing the Ctrl+SAFE project in Albania, Italy, Kosovo, Spain, Ukraine and at EU-level is composed of the following partners:

  • SOS Children’s Villages International (Coordinator)
  • DIGITALEUROPE
  • SOS Children’s Villages Albania
  • SOS Children’s Villages Italy
  • SOS Children’s Villages Kosovo
  • Kosovo Association of Information and Communication Technology (STIKK)
  • SOS Children’s Villages Spain
  • Adigital Spain - Asociación Española de la Economía Digital
  • Organization of Ibero-American States for Education, Science, and Culture (OEI)
  • Fundación SOL – Safe OnLine
  • SOS Children’s Villages Ukraine
  • EPAM (Associated Partner)
Project contact

Florence Treyvaud Nemtzov

Project Manager

train4childrights@sos-kd.org

Co-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Commission. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.