Safer Internet Day

Safer Internet Day, which aims to make users aware of the dangers of using the Internet, will take place on 9 February 2021. With the rapid development of information-communication technologies, the number of devices with which we are connected via the Internet is increasing. At the same time, the dangers faced by Internet users are also increasing. Therefore, knowledge of Internet security is an indispensable skill. The Internet is a universal environment that, in addition to entertainment and communication, offers us many opportunities to acquire new knowledge, along with knowledge about Internet security.

In the first quarter of 2020, 87% of individuals aged 16–74 years regularly used the Internet, which is the same as in the EU-27. Compared to 2019, when 83% of 16–74-year-olds regularly used the Internet, the Internet usage increased in all age groups, with the exception of 16–24-year-olds, where it remained the same (99%). The largest changes occurred among 55–64-year-olds (79% and in 2019: 70%), 35–44-year-olds (98% and in 2019: 94%), and 65–74-year-olds (51% and in 2019: 47%).

Regarding their status, the Internet was most frequently used regularly by pupils and students (99%). There were 96% regular Internet users among the employed and self-employed and 62% among the retired.

During the COVID-19 epidemic, public life came to a halt and many activities were transferred to the Internet, including education. In the first quarter of 2020, 30% of individuals aged 16–74 were conducting learning activities over the Internet for educational, professional or private purposes (in EU-27: 26%) (in 2019: 23%). 26% of them used online learning materials other than a complete online course (e.g. audio-visual materials, online learning software, electronic textbooks), 9% attended an online course and the same percentage communicated through educational websites or portals with instructors or students.

In the first quarter of 2020, more than three quarters of individuals aged 16–74 answered that they use a smartphone for private purposes (79%). The smartphone was used by almost all pupils and students (98%), by 89% of the employed and self-employed and by more than a half (52%) of the retired. Also worth mentioning is that the percentage of individuals who use a telephone that allows only basic functions, such as calling, sending and receiving SMS messages, is the highest among the retired (44%).

Data for 2019 show that 16–74-year-olds most often accessed the Internet via smartphone (77%). The share of users who accessed the Internet via smartphones was the highest among 16–24-year-olds (97%) and the lowest among 65–74-year-olds (35%).

For safer use of the Internet, even on smartphones, it is recommended to use some kind of a security software, such as antivirus, anti-spam or firewall. In the first quarter of 2020, 52% of regular Internet users (16–74 years) had a security software or service installed on their smartphones. Fewer than half of individuals (43%) had a security software that was already installed automatically or provided with the operating system (in EU-27: 43%), and 9% installed or subscribed to the security software themselves or someone else did it for them (in EU-27: 14%). 27% answered that they did not know whether they had a security software installed (in EU-27: 18%) and 11% did not have a security software installed on their smartphone (EU-27: 19%).

Among pupils and students, 60% of individuals had a security software installed on a smartphone, more than half (53%) among the employed and self-employed and 43% among the retired. 29% of pupils and students did not know whether they had a security software installed, 28% among the employed and self-employed and 25% among the retired, who also had the lowest smartphone usage. 13% of pupils and students did not have a security software installed, 12% among the employed and self-employed and 5% among the retired.

A smartphone is not only a device that we regularly access the Internet with, but during these times it is also an indispensable device with which we capture photos, videos, edit documents, play music and perform many other activities. However, losing a large amount of data we store on smartphones can be an extremely unpleasant experience. On smartphones, 4% of regular Internet users lost information, documents, pictures or other data due to a virus or other hostile type of programs. In the EU-27, this share was slightly higher (5%). Regarding the age of people who lost data due to a virus or other hostile type of programs, the most were among 25–34-year-olds (7%), and the fewest among 55–64-year-olds (2%).

Among pupils and students, 4% of individuals lost data due to a virus or other hostile type of programs, 5% among the employed and self-employed, and the fewest among the retired (2%).

When using the Internet, it is important that our data are adequately protected by using various electronic identification procedures. In the first quarter of 2020, 94% of regular Internet users aged 16–74 used electronic identification procedures.

6% of regular Internet users (16–74 years) did not use any electronic identification procedure (EU-27: 10%).