Advisory Council to Support the National Center for Safe Internet in Protecting Children Online

The Council marks the first step towards establishing a long-term national mechanism for expert dialogue on children’s online safety.

On 28 July 2026, the inaugural meeting of the Advisory Council to the National Center for Safe Internet (NCSI, safenet.bg) was held in Sofia. The meeting brought together representatives of public institutions, independent regulatory authorities, academia, the private sector, civil society, and international partners to launch a permanent multi-stakeholder platform for dialogue and coordination aimed at protecting children in the digital environment.

The meeting was opened by the project consortium managing the National Center for Safe Internet—Association Parents, the National Network for Children, and the Bulgarian Family Planning and Sexual Health Association (BFPA). Participants were presented with the activities of the National Center for Safe Internet under the current Digital Children II project, co-funded by the European Union through the Digital Europe Programme, as well as the Centre’s priorities for 2026–2027, including its work related to the implementation of the Digital Services Act (DSA) and other European initiatives for protecting children online.

A central part of the meeting focused on the Advisory Council itself. Its concept, functions and operating model were presented, after which participants discussed and outlined the Council’s internal rules, governance structure, and communication mechanisms between meetings.

Advisory Council: Purpose, Functions and Key Features

The establishment of the Council stems from the requirements of the Digital Children II project, co-funded by the European Union under the Digital Europe Programme, according to which every Safer Internet Centre is expected to maintain a permanent advisory body comprising relevant national stakeholders. On this basis, the consortium has reactivated and expanded the Advisory Council to the National Center for Safe Internet as a permanent multi-stakeholder platform for expert dialogue, coordination and cooperation in the field of child online protection.

The Council serves exclusively as an advisory body. It has no legal personality and holds no decision-making, regulatory or supervisory powers. Its opinions and recommendations are non-binding. The Council does not replace the responsibilities of public authorities, duplicate the functions of the project consortium, or constitute a new administrative body. Responsibility for implementing the project remains entirely with the consortium organisations.

The Council’s main functions include providing strategic advice on the development and priorities of the National Center for Safe Internet; offering expert feedback on national and European policies, including the implementation of the Digital Services Act and the Better Internet for Kids Plus (BIK+) Strategy; identifying emerging online risks affecting children; reviewing aggregated data and trends; formulating recommendations for the Centre, public authorities and businesses; supporting joint initiatives and awareness campaigns; and ensuring sustainable cooperation with the Centre’s youth participation structures so that the views of children and young people are systematically reflected in its work.

Membership in the Council is voluntary and unpaid. Members may participate either as representatives of their institutions or in their personal capacity as experts. The Council is expected to meet at least twice a year, with the possibility of additional thematic or extraordinary consultations whenever necessary. Between meetings, coordination will take place through email communication, periodic newsletters and targeted consultations on specific topics.

During the meeting, participants were also presented with updated data on the work of the National Center for Safe Internet as of July 2026, demonstrating the scale of its activities and the foundation upon which the Council will build. These include more than 800 educational sessions delivered across Bulgaria; over 140,000 children, young people, parents and teachers trained; more than 100 schools implementing Ministry of Education and Science-approved digital and media literacy methodologies; over 130,000 children and parents supported through the Centre’s helplines; more than 910 youth ambassadors participating in the Youth Panel and Cyber Scouts programme; and a network of over 40 national and international partner organisations and institutions.

Participants also reviewed data on reports processed during 2025. The safenet.bg Hotline processed 3,625,868 reports, of which 217,552 were referred to the Cybercrime Directorate of the Bulgarian Ministry of Interior as confirmed illegal content hosted in Bulgaria. Approximately 3.5 million reports concerning images and videos hosted outside Bulgaria were forwarded by safenet.bg to the international INHOPE network. Statistics from the 124 123 Counselling Helpline for the first half of 2026 were also presented. They showed that 52% of those seeking advice were children and teenagers, while 48% were adults. The preferred communication channel was live chat (60%), followed by telephone (21%) and email (19%).

Why This Matters

The establishment of the Advisory Council represents an important transition from implementing a single project to creating a sustainable national mechanism for expert dialogue on children’s online safety.

The online risks facing children in Bulgaria—including cyberbullying, misuse of personal data, sextortion, online grooming, financial fraud and harmful online content—cannot be addressed by a single institution or organisation. They require coordinated legal, technological, educational, social and psychological responses.

For this reason, the Council’s multi-stakeholder format is designed to facilitate timely and meaningful cooperation among child protection authorities, the education system, law enforcement agencies, regulators, digital service providers, telecommunications companies, experts, parents, and children themselves. This approach will ensure that the National Center for Safe Internet’s proposals and recommendations benefit from professional, institutional, public and youth perspectives, increasing their legitimacy, relevance and practical impact while contributing to a safer, more supportive and more inclusive digital environment for children in Bulgaria.

The next steps include adopting the Council’s Rules of Procedure and holding its first regular meetings during the autumn of 2026.

Organisations Participating in the Inaugural Meeting

• State Agency for Child Protection
• Council for Electronic Media
• Consumer Protection Commission
• Ministry of Interior – General Directorate for Combating Organised Crime, Cybercrime Directorate
• Ministry of Education and Science
• Ministry of Culture
• New Bulgarian University – Department of Law
• New Bulgarian University – Department of Media and Communication
• Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski – Faculty of Law, Department of Theory and History of State and Law
• UNICEF Bulgaria
• British Council Bulgaria
• European Commission Representation in Bulgaria
• Yettel Bulgaria
• Bulgarian Association of Information Technologies (BAIT)
• Association of European Journalists – Bulgaria (AEJ Bulgaria)
• Data for Good
• GoodGame – Charity through Video Games Movement

Additional academic institutions, business organisations and civil society organisations also expressed their willingness to participate in the Advisory Council of the National Center for Safe Internet.