Today is Safer Internet Day 2026, and this year’s theme, ‘Smart tech, safe choices – Exploring the safe and responsible use of AI’, serves as a critical pause button. In my role as Product Manager at RM Technology, building the tools that staff and learners use every day isn’t just a ‘marketing milestone’ – it’s a commitment to our ‘safety by design’ philosophy.
From a product perspective, Safer Internet Day is important to me for three reasons:
Alignment and safeguarding compliance: I know filtering and monitoring is top of the priority list for the schools and trusts we partner with. We build products, such as RM SafetyNet, that integrate with existing infrastructure, making it easier to uphold KCSIE (Keeping Children Safe in Education) duties. Working with the Internet Watch Foundation ensures risks such as child abuse and AI generated abuse imagery is not visible to learners or staff alike.
Building digital resilience: A ‘safe’ internet doesn’t mean it’s a restricted one; it’s an understood one. We aim to support an environment that encourages critical thinking – it’s important leaners can identify AI-generated content or understand why their data is being collected.
Data privacy as a feature: Safer Internet Day is a reminder to us not just meet GDPR standards, but to set the bar for transparent data use in schools.
Supporting you
As supporters of The UK Safer Internet Centre, we’re signposting their free educational resources for schools to deliver sessions for Safer Internet Day. Schools can use them to talk about the impact of AI on our lives, looking at how AI can be used for good, and giving guidance that empowers people to use AI safely and responsibly.
Our own plans to improve RM SafetyNet are heavily influenced by your feedback. We’d love to hear how we can better support your specific requirements, please get in touch with me at getintouch@rm.com