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1. National strategy

2. Media literacy and online safety through formal education

3. Promoting media literacy and online safety through non-formal and informal learning

4. Raising awareness about the risks posed by new media

National strategy

White Paper, Trygg oppvekst i et digitalt samfunn (2025)

The White Paper, Trygg oppvekst i et digitalt samfunn (2025), outlines a strategy to ensure a safe, inclusive digital environment for children by balancing opportunities with protection against harm. Key focus areas include enhancing digital competence, regulating screen time, and strengthening protections against harmful content based on reports from the Screen Time Committee. Read the full report at Regjeringen.no.

Action plan (2024)

Based on the cooperation body's work with the target areas from National strategy for safe digital upbringing (Rett på nett Nasjonal strategi for trygg digital oppvekst), the action plan highlights five main challenges in the field of safe digital upbringing which the action plan addresses with existing and possible future measures:

1. There is too little knowledge and not enough overview of the content children and young people encounter on digital platforms.
2.  Regulations that are intended to safeguard children's rights are not sufficiently adapted to technological developments.
3. Children's personal and consumer protection are not sufficiently safeguarded in digital platforms.
4. Children and young people share too little of the challenges they encounter in digital arenas with adults.
5. New knowledge related to digital upbringing does not reach those who need this competence, including professional adults.

Official Norwegian Report, NOU 2024: Det digitale (i) livet - Balanced upbringing in the age of screens

In April 2023 Government also set down a public committee to summarize the knowledge base and propose measures related to children and young people's screen use, mental health and learning challenges. The Screen Use Committee was tasked with providing the government with a better knowledge base on how children and young people's screen use in kindergarten, school and leisure time affects health, quality of life, learning and upbringing.  The digital (i)life – Balanced upbringing in the age of screens on 11 November 2024.

National strategy for safe digital upbringing (2021)

In 2021 the Ministry of Children and Families released a National strategy for safe digital upbringing (Rett på nett. Nasjonal strategi for trygg digital oppvekst). The strategy points to positive aspects and opportunities for children and young people's internet use, but also risks and challenges.The strategy aims to:

• Increase the digital competence of children and young people.
• Increase the digital competence of parents and adults who work with children.
• Protect children and young people from internet-related abuse, harmful content and harmful use.
• Ensure the personal and consumer protection of children and young people.
• Initiate research and make knowledge available.
• Strengthen cross sectoral coordination.

Media literacy and online safety through formal education

Research program for digitalization and digital competence in kindergartens and schools

In the government's Strategy for digital competence and infrastructure in kindergartens and schools (2023-2030), one of the measures is to "establish a research program for targeted research on the topic of and about digitalization and digital competence in the sector". The program will contribute research-based knowledge about how increased digitalization in society and the spread of digital technology affect the education sector.

The Ministry of Education and Research and the Norwegian Directorate of Education want the research program to be a research boost for the kindergarten and school sector that addresses the core areas of digitalization in kindergartens and schools. The research program will both build on the knowledge we already have and develop new knowledge. 

Key themes: 

• what role digitalization plays in play, learning, development and well-being in kindergartens and schools, in addition to ongoing and final assessment in schools. 
• the competence and professional practice of kindergarten and school employees. 
• interpersonal aspects in kindergarten and school. 
• changes in the roles and ethics of kindergartens and schools, and what this means for children, young people, employees, parents and leaders. 
• key processes that guide the work in kindergartens and schools, such as procurement, working conditions, management documents and division of responsibilities.

The Government's Digitization strategy for basic education 2017–2021

The Government's Digitization strategy for basic education 2017–2021 [Digitaliseringstrategi for grunnopplæringen 2017–2021] aims to make new technologies readily available to empower young people's leaning and creativity, including capacity for innovation. The main goals of the strategy are:

• Pupils should have digital skills that enable them to experience life's challenges and succeed in further education, work and community participation.
• ICT should be well utilized in the organization and implementation of training to increase pupils' learning outcomes.

Specific measures include developing safe digital infrastructures and raising skills among teachers as well as measures for:

• Student learning and school content
• Technology and coding into school curricula.
• Elective in coding permanent scheme from 2019.
• National pilot on coding as a program in higher education.
• Universal design of digital teaching materials.
• Spread knowledge about the use of technology and digital learning materials for students with special needs.
• Stimulating grants to develop new, digital teaching tools in vocational and vocational education.

In addition, a new strategy for digital expertise and infrastructure in kindergarten and school was presented in 2023 which looks specifically at how national authorities can assist counties and municipalities in the face of new technologies, digital tools in education and the increasing pressure on children and young people's privacy. The strategy aims to:

• establish a common support service for privacy and universal design, so that schools can get help in the assessment of digital resources.
• create a public overview of available digital teaching aids and the extent to which they meet legal and technical requirements. This will make it easier for schools to purchase learning materials that meet the regulations.
• assess how national authorities, together with the sector, can identify new technologies more effectively so that they can provide support to the municipalities more quickly.

The strategy also comes with several measures to support schools in handling artificial intelligence in education.

Curriculum

The Framework for basic skills (The Norwegian Directorate for Education and Training, 2013) defines and describes five basic skills – oral skills, reading, writing, digital skills and numeracy. All subject-specific curricula describe how the five basic skills contribute to developing learner competence and qualifications and how they are integrated into the subject.

Digital skills involve being able to use digital tools, media and resources, efficiently and responsibly, to solve practical tasks, find and process information, design digital products and communicate content. Digital skills also include developing digital judgment by acquiring knowledge and good strategies for using the Internet. They are seen as a prerequisite for further learning and for active participation in working life and a society in a constant change.

The framework defines five subcategories of digital skills: Use and understand, search and process, produce, communicate, and digital judgement.

Pedagogical tools and teacher support

The Framework for the Teacher´s Professional Digital Competence (Rammeverk for lærerens digitale kompetanse) is a guidance for teacher students, teachers, policymakers and others to improve the teachers digital knowledge, skills and general competence in the teacher initial education (ITE) and in the teachers continuing professional development (CPD).

As a continuing support, Skills Norway [Kompetanse Norge] offers a launch site for teachers and care takers on digital skills [Digitale Ferdigheter].

The site offers: 

• Tools, tests and questionnaires on digital skills and safety.
• Web-based courses, training programmes and mapping tools.
• Educational programmes, like online educational quizzes and games for children and youth.

Equivalent pedagogical tools and teacher support is also offered by the Norwegian Directorate for Education e.g. for the national project Lower Secondary Education in Development (2012-2017) [Ungdomstrinn i utvikling].

Promoting media literacy and online safety through non-formal and informal learning

Norway is investing heavily in promoting media literacy (source criticism, media understanding) and online safety (network etiquette, digital judgment) through non-formal learning (organized outside the school system, e.g. courses) and informal learning (everyday learning, campaigns).

Important measures: (more under national strategy above)

The Norwegian Media Authority: Has an expanded mandate to strengthen the population's critical media understanding and resilience against disinformation through strategies for 2021-2023 and 2024-2026.
Strategy for a safe digital upbringing: The Norwegian Media Authority is developing measures to ensure children and young people have a safe everyday life online. 
Strategy against disinformation (2025–2030): The government launched this to equip the population to recognize manipulated news and false information.

• Non-formal learning (Courses and training) 
  Libraries: Function as central learning arenas for digital competence in the local community, including courses for the elderly (e.g. "Seniornett"). 
  Non-governmental organizations: Save the Children and other actors offer courses and guidance on safe use of the internet. 
  Learning tips on NDLA: National digital learning arena offers open learning resources on media, source criticism and democracy.
• Focus areas for informal learning 
  Source criticism: Learn to distinguish between editorially controlled media, advertising and propaganda. 
  Digital judgment: Understand the consequences of sharing images and personal data, as well as ethical behavior online. 
  Privacy: Safe use of digital services, social media and understanding of data tracking. 
   
  These measures will help children, young people and adults develop "expressive readiness" – the ability to navigate a complex media landscape without being exposed to, or spreading, harmful content.
   
  Youth workers and others in non-formal/informal learning environments have access to digital resources and tools offered by The Norwegian Directorate for Education and Training and from Skills Norway (see description above).

Raising awareness about the risks posed by new media

Information providers/ counselling structures

Key actors such as the Norwegian Media Authority, NorSIS and NGOs offer tools, resources and training to strengthen resilience against disinformation and unwanted content.

The Center for ICT in Education (IKT-senteret), The Norwegian Data Protection Authority (Datatilsynet) and The Norwegian Directorate for Education and Training (Utdanningsdirektoratet) have developed a common web site with resources for children, youth and adults to strengthen privacy, safe use of Internett and digital judgement: Dubestemmer.no (You decide).

The Ombudsperson for Children has been advocating for coordinated and long-term joint efforts for safer digital spaces for children and young people. It organised an expert group of youth aged 14-18 that delivered a report on youth and digital media in 2019, including a number of recommendations to improve digital safety for young people.

The Norwegian Media Authority [Medietilsynet] is coordinating the National strategy for safe digital upbringing (Rett på nett. Nasjonal strategi for trygg digital oppvekst) and offers a wide range of teaching and conversation tools about online hate.

The Norwegian Data Protection Authority [Datatilsynet] acts as the Ombudsman for Privacy (Personvernombud) in Norway. The authority protects the right to privacy and strives to prevent misuse of personal data and offers several practical online resources of particular relevance to children, youth, parents, and schools on digital safety:

Awareness raising initiatives

Online resources and information campaigns (Informal learning): 

• Nettvett.no: Run by NorSIS (Norwegian Centre for Information Security) and is the main portal for advice on online security, password routines and protection against ID theft. 
• Barnevakten.no: Provides advice to parents and teachers about children and young people's use of media, age limits on apps and games, and how to deal with cyberbullying. 
• Dubestemmer.no [‘You decide’] Particularly for the age groups of 9-13, and 13-18. Presents facts, stories, exercises and videos about privacy and digital responsibility. A joint online resource with a focus on privacy, online ethics and source criticism, often used both at school and at home. 
• BrukHue.no: A campaign/measure that provides knowledge about online ethics and prevents bullying.
• Foreldrehverdag.no is a free online resource from Bufdir (the Norwegian Directorate for Children, Youth and Family Affairs) that offers quality-assured advice, articles and films about child development and the role of parenting for children aged 0-18. The site aims to support parents in their everyday lives with topics such as sleep, boundary setting, screen time and interaction.
• Children, Youth and Schools (Barn, ungdom og skole) Relevant regulations, guidance etc.
• Personvernbloggen [‘Privacy blog’] General blog on issues regarding privacy.
• Slettmeg.no [‘delete me’] A free service from NorSIS that helps people delete content from social media and resolve privacy issues. The aim of the service is to help people who experience privacy violations online.                           

The Norwegian Directorate for Children, Youth and Family Affairs (Bufdir) is the main information provider in terms of a dedicated website to youth (ung.no), and topics addressed includes bullying/cyber bullying, grooming, identity theft, social media sharing etc.