Internet Security – are your children safe?

This week we have Safer Internet Day.  Safer Internet Day happens every February to promote safer and more responsible use of online technology, especially amongst children and young people.

 

Children and young people have never been so exposed to the potential dangers of the internet as they are today.  Mobile computers and web-enabled mobile phones make it very difficult to stop your children from surfing the internet without the knowledge of the parents.  Some of the concerns include the possibility of cyber-bullying, which we recently covered in an article about a new website aimed at colleges and Universities.  The site originally included pages for schools, but these have now been taken down due to protests.

 

It can be frustrating if you haven’t got much knowledge of computers, over and above using them for your own uses.  If you need help, try contacting Metacube in Claremont Road.  Metacube provides IT support to small enterprises which cannot normally afford a professional IT department. The support services include website design, hardware maintenance, laptop repairs, network deployment, and data security. Internet access and web hosting are additional services offered to local businesses.  Having said that, I have always found that they are happy to help with any awkward IT questions you might have.

 

I have also had dealings with Mr Fix It, who has been very helpful when I have been embarrassed by my own lack of IT skills.  Let us know if you’ve had any good service from local companies that provide IT help.

 

Stop it Now! and the Lucy Faithfull Foundation are supporting European Safer Internet Day 2011 by delivering internet safety seminars to school children and their parents.  Director of Stop it Now! Donald Findlater said: “With 79% of young people using the Internet privately, without their parents’ supervision, it is vital they receive information about how to keep themselves safe.  Equally, parents need to understand what the risks are, what they can do to minimise them and how to talk to their children about what they are doing online, just as they talk to them about their offline activities.”

 

The children’s sessions will focus on managing their online behaviour, sharing personal information (from names and address to what they plan on doing at the weekend), the difference between real friends and people they only know online, privacy settings, cyber bullying and the importance of talking to a trusted adult if something happens online that upsets them or makes them feel uncomfortable.

 

Check out the Parents Protect website dedicated to helping parents and carers protect children from sexual abuse.  Details of the Stop it Now! campaign can be found here.  People seeking advice or information can call the Stop it Now! confidential, freephone helpline on 0808 1000 900.

 

You can watch videos from Childnet on their website.  Parents of Primary school children can actively help their child learn important safety messages by working through Childnet’s ‘Smart Crew’ online videos.