Self-paced: Helping kids build and manage healthy online relationships
BIK
Welcome to the self-paced edition of Helping kids build and manage healthy online relationships MOOC
On this page
This course is based on the instructor-paced version that ran from 06/10/2025 to 12/11/2025, which offered interaction over 5.5 weeks. To make it accessible to everyone, we’ve created a self-paced format so you can explore the content and complete activities whenever it suits you.
For today’s youth, the internet and digital technologies play a crucial role in facilitating and supporting their communication and relationships with their friends, family, peers and others. Many children and young people use technology as a way to develop new friendships and relationships, as well as manage and strengthen existing relationships with those they know offline. Youth online communication can take many forms, and young people use a range of services and platforms to meet their needs for developing relationships. However, with the limitless opportunities for connection and communication with others, there are also many risks ranging from cyberbullying, or grooming to radicalisation of youth or harmful gender stereotypes, among others.
Against this background, this MOOC will address some of the most prominent risks and challenges that arise from the online interactions and relationships of youth. The course will provide participants with opportunities to explore and understand the nature of youth online relationships (including but not limited to those that are considered to be romantic), the features of healthy relationships, what constitutes positive and safe behaviour online and how educators can empower youth to build healthy relationships and positive online communities.
You can follow the course entirely at your own pace. All modules and materials are available from the start, and there are no deadlines to keep in mind.
Join us in the Facebook group or share your thoughts on X (formerly Twitter) using the hashtag #OnlineSafety,#BIKMOOC.
Learning objectives
- To understand the ways in which youth communicate online and through technology.
- To understand the benefits that online communication offers to young people as well as the most prominent risks and challenges that arise from the online interactions and relationships.
- To explore the strategies that youth can employ to manage these risks and the educational approaches to teaching these strategies.
- To identify skills required to develop and maintain healthy relationships between individuals and groups, with a focus on how educators can empower and support their learners to become active and positive digital citizens.
- To raise awareness of the BIK+ strategy and Insafe network, as part of the network of Safer Internet Centres (SICs) in Europe, and associated resources.
Prerequisites
The course will target primary and secondary school teachers of any subject, particularly those who provide pastoral support or education (ethics) to learners. It will also benefit other educational professionals and stakeholders, such as heads of schools, school support staff, professionals working in non-formal education settings, and policymakers interested in this topic.
Modules
- Module 1: Online communication
- Module 2: Understanding healthy relationships
- Module 3: Tackling unhealthy and harmful relationships
- Module 4: Empowering positive online behaviour
Certification
To earn the certificate, participants must successfully complete the course content and pass the quizzes.
Note pour les enseignants du Luxembourg : En plus de l'attestation délivrée par l'European Schoolnet Academy à l'issue du cours, les enseignants du Luxembourg peuvent obtenir une reconnaissance formelle de l'IFEN (Institut de formation de l'Éducation nationale). L'inscription via le site web de l'IFEN est indispensable pour obtenir la certification pour ce cours. Pour plus d'informations : https://ssl.education.lu/ifen/
Course Staff
Eray Başar - Course Coordinator
Eray is a member of the Digital Citizenship Department at the EUN. He works mainly on the youth participation and project assessment tasks of the Better Internet for Kids project, among others.
Alice Hoyle - Course moderator and expert advisory teacher
Alice is a wellbeing education consultant who supports schools in teaching about relationships, health and safety, both online and offline. With years of classroom and advisory experience, she helps educators empower young people to build safe, ethical, positive and inclusive relationships, including in digital spaces.
Behind the course
With funding provided by the European Commission's Digital Europe Programme (DIGITAL), the joint Insafe and INHOPE network of Safer Internet Centres collaborates to deliver a safer internet, promoting safe, responsible use of the internet and mobile devices to children, young people and their families, and working to identify and remove illegal content online, in line with the EC’s Better Internet for Kids Strategy. Visit the Better Internet for Kids portal for further information.
Disclaimer
This course is produced by European Schoolnet on behalf of the European Commission as part of the Better Internet for Kids initiative with active involvement from Insafe network members. This MOOC is provided in good faith with regards to the validity, accuracy or comprehensiveness of the information contained within it, but please note that the views expressed are not necessarily the views of the European Commission or any partner organisations. Please note also, the authors have no control over third-party references and linked sites, and any referenced links may be subject to change over time.
All content on this course unless specified otherwise is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License