European Safer Internet Day (Tuesday 9th February 2010)
29-1-2010
Connexions Berkshire supported European Safer Internet Day which took place on Tuesday 9th February. Safer Internet Day has been running annually since 2004 and is organised by Insafe. The purpose of the day is to promote safer and more responsible use of online technology and mobile phones, especially amongst children and young people.
The theme of this year’s Safer Internet Day was “Think B4 U Post”.
The increase in the use of new technology and the popularity of social networking means that many of us, especially young people, are regularly publishing personal information about ourselves, photos and videos online. These posts can take just minutes to upload and circulate to our friends, but once uploaded photos remain online and can be seen by anybody, even years after they have been posted. The ability to tag people in pictures, offered by most social networking services, also makes it very easy for anyone to search for a person's photos online.
The opportunities created by new technologies are tremendous and children and young people, who are major users of social networking sites and other new online services, often use them to express themselves and their identities. However, having an online presence can make young people vulnerable to gossip, bullying or even grooming.
Many young people don’t realise that the personal information they post remains online not just for days or weeks, but years and it can be accessed by anyone, including their parents, teachers, future employers or predatory adults. Many employers now use new technology to check the online profiles of prospective employees and personal information, contained in social networking profiles, can be also be used by unscrupulous individuals for other purposes.
Innocent pictures can easily be displayed in a completely different context, leading to embarrassment, or even bullying. Because of the digital nature of the photos, they can be cut, pasted, altered or distorted.
By following a few simple guidelines, such as; using the privacy settings offered by social networking services, selecting friends online that they can trust and publishing their own photos after thinking carefully about the potential consequences, children and young people can help to control their online identity and be safer when using the internet.
The Connexions Berkshire website provides information about staying safe online and links to other useful sites, for young people and their parents and carers. There is also a direct link to the CEOP Report Abuse website on every page of the Connexions Berkshire website.
More information about Safer Internet Day can be found by visiting www.thinkuknow.co.uk/saferinternetdayuk or www.saferinternetday.org
Young people can access more information about staying safe online by visiting www.thinkuknow.co.uk
If a young person is concerned about something which has happened online and think they are in immediate danger, they should call 999 or contact their local police. For help and advice, or to report any instances of sexual contact or harmful material, young people should contact the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP) at www.ceop.gov.uk/reportabuse
Parents and carers can obtain further information about protecting their child online by visiting www.thinkuknow.co.uk/parents
