The first of four free online webinars for parents of children aged 3 to 17 will be held on 27 October. The National Centre for Safer Internet (SafeNet.bg) is running the series, the centre said.

The topics are screen time, critical thinking, social media and artificial intelligence, and cyberbullying. Experts from the Safer Internet Centre and the Parents Association will lead the sessions. Parents from anywhere in Bulgaria can join, but they must sign up for each session separately using the link for that event. Each session lasts 90 minutes: 60 on the topic and 30 for questions to the experts.

The first webinar is titled "Screen time: should we limit it, ban it or agree on it?" It will look for a realistic balance between screens, sleep, exercise, study and time with others. It will cover the quality of content, family rules for time with and without devices, and the benefits and risks of video games, including the PEGI rating system.

The topic on 24 November is "How to find information and build critical thinking". Parents will get tips on how to talk with children about news, ads, influencers, doctored images and content made by artificial intelligence, and how to teach them to check whether information online is true.

The third session, on 15 December, is "Growing up safely with social media and artificial intelligence". Participants will hear about algorithms, personal profiles, privacy settings, the pressure of likes and endless scrolling. It will also focus on chatbots and generative AI. The experts will say what personal information should not be shared, and how technology can help with learning and creativity rather than replace human contact.

The last webinar, "Cyberbullying: how do we protect our child?", is on 26 January 2027 and is especially suited to parents of children over 7. It covers abusive messages, isolation in group chats, fake profiles, pressure to send personal photos, and images or videos doctored with artificial intelligence. It also includes a response plan, which shows how to start the conversation with a child and how to keep evidence. It also explains when to block and report content, and who parents should turn to in a more serious case.

The centre says parents find it harder and harder to keep up with a digital world that keeps changing and is part of children's daily lives. "Digital challenges cannot be solved with restrictions and technical settings alone," SafeNet.bg said in a statement to BTA.

In June, at a conference in Sofia on phone use, doctors recommended that there be no phones in school and that children not use them for at least an hour before sleep. They also called for more digital literacy with a focus on mental health, and for investment in alternatives.