Promoting online safety among children and youth faces two significant barriers: i) when involved in situations causing doubt or distress, youngsters find it difficult to ask for guidance and help from adults, fearing reprimands or punishment; ii) from a child and youth centred perspective, that is, considering their own motivations, agendas and peer cultures, advice and support needs, in regard to these issues, remain fairly unknown. From this point of view, the very concept of online or digital safety is far from being clear, with youngsters frequently confiding and relying on peers, rather than parents or teachers. Thus, seeking qualified aid may happen only when the situation is already extreme. More worryingly, those at higher risk of harm, namely children from low-income households, with special needs and younger children, face increased difficulties. We thus need to: i) find ways to reach out to children and youth at an early stage of a potential harmful online experience, particularly those at higher risk of harm; ii) produce and disseminate children and youth centred guidance and means of assistance, that is supported by research evidence. It should be noted that European research situates Portugal in a cluster of countries that most impose restrictive measures. This project will: i) conduct a survey of needs and motivations concerning online safety, from a children and youth centred perspective; ii) evaluate the viability of using smartphone apps to address these demands. Through focus group, workshops and discussion of scenarios, a first stage comprises a thorough assessment of needs and concerns. A mobile application will then be conceived, developed and tested for usability in close collaboration with groups of children and teens. A preliminary distribution of the app and a pilot study will follow. The project further foresees the construction of an online risk prevention and intervention framework and an analysis of the potential of other applications. Partners ---------- [Research Centre on Education (CIEd/University of Minho)][1] - coordinator [Center for Computer Graphics (CCG-UMinho)][2] [Lusoinfo Multimedia, S.A.][3] [Centre for Research and Studies in Sociology (CIES- University Institute of Lisbon)][4] [1]: http://www.cied.uminho.pt/ [2]: http://www.ccg.pt/ [3]: http://lusoinfo.com/index.php [4]: http://cies.iscte-iul.pt/index.jsp