- Do they know what is safe to tell anyone, and what isn’t?
- Would they know what to do if they saw things online that they didn’t like?
- Do they recognise the difference between requests for real money and token currency?
- Do they know what privacy settings are available on social networking sites, and how to use them?
A recent report, In their own words, showed that many children are concerned about the risks when using the internet.
For younger children, their concerns are mainly seeing things they don’t like: too violent, too sexual.
For teenagers, their concerns are more commonly misuse of privacy (like ‘friends’ posting compromising things about one another) and bullying.
The Mothers’ Union’s Bye Buy Childhood campaign has sought to raise awareness about internet safety, and has been part of the move for better information and facilities to assist families.
There are now many websites that provide information. Here are a few:
- Parent Port offers a one-stop shop for all media complaints, compliments and queries, and now also has internet safety hints.
- UKCCIS (UK Council for child internet safety)
- Insafe, the European Union network for internet safety, has a British section with information for all, and some great resources for both younger and teenage children.
We have heard in the news about one or two children who have spent enormous sums of their parents’ money buying ‘in-app’ items. The Office of Fair Trading are inviting parents to let it know of any experience they have had, so they can make a balanced decision on whether to make apps put in extra safeguards. Do let others know who might like to see the questionnaire too, before the closing date of June 28th, 2013.
The post How Internet savvy is your child or grandchild? appeared first on Diocese of Winchester.
