Safer surfing
February 8, 2012
On Tuesday, the European Commission promoted Safer Internet Day 2012, encouraging all members of the family to come together to navigate the digital world safely.
While the Internet has become an indispensable part of people's lives, especially young people who know little of the world that existed before e-mail and URLs, there are many dangers lurking in the digital realm, including predators, pornography and cyberbullying.
“The Internet is one of the best places for kids to be,” said Neelie Kroes, the EU's Digital Agenda Commissioner and the patron of Safer Internet Day. “You can socialize, play, learn and create; and a world of information and opportunity is just a few clicks away.”
“I want everyone – parents, teachers, children, NGOs and policy makers – to work together so all kids' online experiences are positive ones.”
The EU initiative has been adopted by all 27 EU member states and more than 70 countries worldwide.
Parental involvement
As kids become exposed to the Internet at earlier and earlier ages, special vigilance should be taken by parents and authorities on keeping their digital experience a good one, according to the Insafe and INHOPE networks, which organize the events around Safer Internet Day.
According to Insafe, 12 per cent of European 9 to16-year-olds say they have been bothered or upset by something on the Internet. However, more than half of parents whose child has received nasty or hurtful messages online are not aware of this.
As children get older, the Internet can become more risky. The Internet security firm Norton found that more than half of children between the ages of eight and 17 have had negative experiences online.
This year, Insafe has launched a new schools initiative which has made resources available to classrooms about Internet safety.
A new report was released today based on information gathered in a survey of 25,000 Internet users between the ages of 9 and 16 in 25 European countries. The report showed that positive engagement by parents, instead of just restricting children's Internet use, was able to reduce the risk of harm without hurting the benefits that come from being online.
Author: Kyle James
Editor: Cyrus Farivar