Background on the establishment of the Israeli Center for Internet Safety

The Israeli Center for Internet Safety was established to respond to the challenges arising from the increasingly ubiquitous use of screens among today’s youth. The center promotes raising awareness and providing solutions regarding screen addiction, exposing minors to offensive content, online vulnerabilities, cyberbullying, and online shaming.

The current war has led to the consumption of offensive content and very disturbing footage: "snuff" content, including descriptions of rape, beheadings, abuse of hostages, and more. 

We work to raise awareness of the harm caused by consuming this kind of content, provide practical tools for filtering, and call on technologists and politicians to act to find new and better solutions to address the problem.

Other negative online phenomena and trends affecting minors:

6.7 years old is the average age of first exposure to pornographic content among Israeli children, and it is one of the earliest in the world. This statistic and other disturbing data we presented in Knesset committees based on a study published in 2019. Since then, the forum has presented even more disturbing statistics.ם

Sexual shaming incidents among minors are on the rise. According to the state comptroller's report (February 2022), which the Digital Forum helped to write, more than 20% of online offenders who violate the video law are minors. That is, children who photograph themselves or their friends naked or while engaged in sexual acts and distribute this content to embarrass their friends.

Digital prostitution among teenagers is on the rise – minors who generate income from sharing sexual content in dedicated apps (the most famous of which is the OnlyFans app)

 

According to a Moked 105 report here has been an increase of 30%-40% every year for the last three years (!) in the number of online victims who are minors. The vast majority of the crimes are sexual shaming incidents.

How can we protect Israel’s children?

The proposal of the Israeli Center for Online Safety:

  1. Five free filtering levels – for parents to choose
  2. A public service media campaign funded by the government to encourage screening and parental responsibility
  3. Schools educating students on responsible digital conduct 

 Achievements in 2023

  • National campaign with millions of views online
  • Cooperation with central bodies, such as the student and youth council and the national parent leadership.
  • Featured articles on prime media channels about the phenomenon of digital prostitution.
  • Established an inter-ministerial committee for finding technological solutions in the network under the leadership of the Ministry of Communications, and influencing its opinion towards an explicit recommendation for technological solutions.
  • Recruiting celebrities online for the purpose of raising awareness and campaigns (Avri Gilad, Emily Amrousi, Yuval Elbashan).
  • Gathered senior leaders in academia and the cyber-related fields for round tables
  • Convened relevant Knesset committees
  • Hired a dedicated researcher

Goals for 2024

  • Establish the Israeli Center for Internet Safety as the expert and leading body for digital security in Israel.
  • Establish cooperation with the government – the Ministry of Communications, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Science and Technology, and the National Innovation Authority.
  • Position technological solutions as the central component for protecting children online.
  • Promoting the "Comprehensive Solution" as defined by the Israeli Center for Internet Safety.
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