Issue no. 413 - 20 February 2011

• EU - Safer Internet Day, 8 February 2011 (Insafe)
  It's more than a game, it's your life. Safer Internet Day is organised by Insafe each year in February to promote safer and more responsible use of online technology and mobile phones, especially amongst children and young people across the world. The topic for 2011 is "our virtual lives" around the slogan " It's more than a game, it's your life". In 2010 Safer Internet Day was celebrated through over 500 events in 65 countries all over the world. For more information and resources please see our toolkit.

Issue no. 412 - 28 November 2010

• FOSI 2010: A Recap (Norton)
  by Marian Merritt. One of the most striking differences from this year's annual Family Online Safety Institute conference is the broad adoption of social media by attendees and interested bystanders. This year, during the conference and measured by the use of the #fosi2010 "hashtag", 267 people around the world were sharing the discussion with an estimated half a million people. According to TweetReach, the FOSI conference reached an estimated 575,394 people via 1485 tweets. See also Highlights from the Family Online Safety Institute Conference 2010 and Family Online Safety Institute #fosi2010 Reaches Over Half a Million People via Twitter (Safetyweb).

• Guide for teen-proofing Facebook released (CNET)
  If you are a parent and you want your teen to be able to use Facebook without either of you having to worry that your child is sharing too much personal information, there's a new resource that can help. A Parents' Guide to Facebook offers hands-on, step-by-step instructions and illustrations, as well as information on safety, privacy, and reputation protection; and it covers the use of Facebook on computers and cell phones. It also offers specific recommendations for configuring privacy settings, noting that the default Facebook settings are not as privacy protective as they should be, even for adults. The guide is being debuted at the fourth annual Family Online Safety Institute conference by the iKeepSafe Coalition and Connect Safely, a project of the nonprofit Tech Parenting Group.

• Vodafone Digital Parenting Magazine (Net Family News)
  by Anne Collier. British mobile giant Vodafone has crammed a whole lot of parenting into its spanking-new guide for parents. Available in print in the UK and online, Digital Parenting offers 112 pages of interviews, how-to's (on everything from Google SafeSearch to Windows 7 Parental Controls), and expert views on a large range of issues: digital parenting by age and stage, cyberbullying, sexting, adult content, online plagiarism, and so on. One of the how-to features in its premier issue is a brief guide to Facebook's privacy controls. If parents want to go more in-depth with those, check out A Parents’ Guide to Facebook, written by co-directors Larry Magid and yours truly at ConnectSafely.org.

Issue no. 410 - 6 August 2010

• AU - Filter sparks launch of Safer Internet Group (iTnews)
  A new industry body that has formed in Australia over discussions of the Federal Government's ISP-level Internet Filter counts Google, Internode and the Internet Industry Association as members. The Safer Internet Group announced plans to "work with the government to make the internet safer". Members include the Australian Library and Information Association, System Administrators Guild of Australia (SAGE-AU), Yahoo!, the Inspire Foundation, iiNet and Australian Council of State School Organisations.

Issue no. 409 - 6 June 2010

• UK - Wales - An Internet drama by pupils from Ysgol Preseli (YouTube)
  Pupils from Ysgol Preseli put on this short dramatisation of young people's use of the Internet (created by Dafydd Hughes, Assistant Head of the school) at the WISE KIDS - WISP conference in Swansea on February 1st 2010 (Welsh version).

• US - Report urges more education about online safety (Washington Post)
  An online safety committee created by Congress will recommend on Friday that educators and government leaders focus on teaching children and parents about safe Internet practices while recognizing the limits of filtering technology in protecting young people. The biggest takeaway from the report by the Online Safety and Technology Working Group, created by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, is that the real and online lives of young people are blending, and parents, educators and lawmakers need to treat both worlds equally.

Issue no. 408 - 25 April 2010

• iPad Family Safety Tips (Norton)
  by Marian Merritt. One area I've been concerned about, especially now that I see how appealing the device is for children, is parental control of the content. I know that Apple's management diligently screens the content available in the App Store but there are still loads out there that I wouldn't want my younger children viewing. When used as a web device or web entertainment portal, the iPad really shines but we all know there's a lot of objectionable material on the Internet. Until we have a solution for the iPad, I've tried to think of some tips and work arounds to keep matters in hand.

Issue no. 407 - 28 March 2010

• CA - Ontario adds Internet safety to elementary curriculum (The Canadian Press)
  Ontario is changing the school curriculum to include Internet safety lessons. The Liberal government has approved changes to the health and physical education curriculum for elementary schools to help children better protect themselves online. Next fall, there will be specific sections in the curriculum for grades 4 and 7 about Internet safety and the potential risks of online activities. There will also be "age appropriate" discussions about online dangers in Grades 1 through 8.

• US - FCC chairman outlines broadband plan for kids (CNET News.com)
  by Larry Magid. Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski laid out the "broadband plan for children and families". eferring to children as "our most precious national resource," Genachowski said "we must do everything we can to educate and prepare them to thrive in the 21st century and keep them safe." New technologies, he said, "can expose our children to new dangers, and can potentially outpace the ability of parents to guide their children. So parents are left asking if they should be embracing these new technologies or worrying about them. The answer: We have to do both. The Children's Agenda for Digital Opportunity builds on four core pillars: digital access, digital literacy, digital citizenship, and digital safety."

Issue no. 406 - 21 February 2010

• EU - Instantly online - 17 golden rules for mobile social networks (ENISA)
  Instantly online-17 golden rules to combat online risks and for safer surfing mobile social networks The EU 'cyber security' Agency - ENISA (the European Network and Information Security Agency) presents a new report on accessing social networks over mobile phones, Online as soon as it happens. The report points out the risks and threats of mobile social networking services, e.g. identity theft, corporate data leakage and reputation risks of mobile social networks. The report also gives 17 "golden rules" on how to combat these threats.

• MTV's sexting show to air stark message for teens (CNET New.com)
  by Larry Magid. MTV's half-hour special, "Sexting In America: When Privates Go Public," is a good reminder for teens that taking and sending nude pictures is never a good idea. The program, which is aimed at teens, explores the consequences - to one's emotions, reputation, and legal standing - in posing for, taking, distributing, or forwarding nude pictures by cell phone or computer.

• UK - Pupils 'must manage online risks' (BBC)
  Pupils given a greater degree of freedom to surf the internet at school are less vulnerable to online dangers in the long-term, inspectors say. "Managed" online systems were more successful than "locked" ones at safeguarding pupils' safety, they said. In a report, The safe use of new technologies, Ofsted said the area most in need of improvement was online safety training for teaching staff.

• EU - Safer Internet Day banner (Twitpic)
  Safer Internet Day 2010 banner at the European Commission's Berlaymont building in Brussels.

Issue no. 405 - 24 January 2010

• EU - Know IT All is MEDEA Overall Award Winner 2009 (MEDEA)
  The aim of the MEDEA Awards is to encourage innovation and good practice in the use of media (audio, video, graphics and animation) in education. The overall winner of the MEDEA Awards 2009 was announced by Maruja Gutierrez-Diaz, Advisor to the Director of the Lifelong Learning Programme, European Commission on 4 December during a reception in Berlin. It is Know IT All for Primary Schools by Childnet International (UK). Know IT All for Primary Schools includes a vibrant new 3D SMART animation created by Childnet International, designed especially for both primary school staff and primary pupils. The resources are designed to help school staff to understand important e-safety issues and to offer strategies and information on how to support young pupils to get the most out of the Internet.

• Internet safety on GMTV (GMTv)
  With ways of accessing the internet increasing all the time, Child Internet Safety Expert John Carr gives his tips on keeping your kids safe online. A third of children aged 5 to 8 have a personal laptop or computer, one in five have it in their own bedroom, and one in four kids use their mobile to access the internet. Lots more children may have received a Nintendo DS, PlayStation Portable or an iTouch for Christmas. But how many parents know that their children can get wi-fi access on them?

• New online safety video: Steering Clear of Cyber Tricks (Google Public Policy Blog)
  We're releasing the latest in a series of online safety videos as part of our Digital Literacy campaign. As we engage more students, parents and teachers about how to make good decisions online, many have noted how difficult it is to identify and avoid online scams. We know how tricky scammers can be. Our new video, Steering Clear of Cyber Tricks, shares some tips on how to avoid tricky online scams.

Issue no. 404 - 21 December 2009

• Facebook sets up a global Safety Advisory Board (Facebook blog)
  Improving safety online is a group effort. At Facebook, we took another step by launching a global Safety Advisory Board. This group of five leading Internet safety organizations from North America and Europe will consult with us on online safety issues. One of our first projects together will be to overhaul the safety information that's available to you from the Facebook Help Center so that the resources are more comprehensive and include content that's specifically tailored to the needs of parents, teachers and teens. The initial members of the Safety Advisory Board are Childnet International, The Family Online Safety Institute, Common Sense Media, ConnectSafely and WiredSafety. See also press release.

• FR - Helping kids surf the net (Google European Public Policy Blog)
  It's become a preoccupation of many parents: they want their children to benefit from the power of the Internet and yet not be infected by its dangers. In order to help, Google, Calysto and the Voix de l'Enfant joined together to produce a video offering advice to help youngsters adopt an informed and responsible attitude to surfing the net. It includes demos of tools and testimonies of children. Bruno Solo, ambassador of the association la Voix de l'Enfant, narrates. We timed the release to the 20th anniversary of the International Convention on the Rights of the Child. You can watch here the YouTube channel of La Voix de l'Enfant.

• UK - Internet safety for children targeted (BBC)
  Lessons in using the internet safely are set to become a compulsory part of the curriculum for primary schoolchildren in England from 2011. The lessons are one element of a new government strategy being unveiled called "Click Clever, Click Safe". Children will also be encouraged to follow an online "Green Cross Code" and block and report inappropriate content. The measures have been drawn up by the UK Council on Child Internet Safety, a new body comprising 140 organisations. see Click Clever Click Safe: The First Child Internet Safety Strategy. see also Son's Rogue Tweet Taught Brown A Lesson (Sky News).

Issue no. 403 - 24 November 2009

• Europe's amazing Internet-safety work (Net Family News)
  Last week I had the great good fortune of participating in the Safer Internet Forum 2009 in Luxembourg. What a fantastic experience, connecting with online-safety experts representing the 27 EU member countries plus Malaysia, Brazil, and New Zealand. The Forum included teen panelists (aged 14-18) from 26 of the 27 countries. This year's focus was "Promoting Online Safety in Schools." Here are highlights - things I heard from presenters over the four days of Forum and INSAFE meetings.

• IGF - Children in the Web 2.0 world - the European approach (UN)
  Audio Webcast. Chair: Ana Luiza Rotta Soares (Protegeles), Panelists: Katia Segers (EU Kids Online), Rachel O'Connell (Bebo), Janice Richardson (INSAFE), Gry Hasselbalch (Danish Media Council), Simon Grehan (NCTE Ireland), Dieter Carstensen (eNACSO) .

• US - Call for descriptions: online safety programs (Berkman Center for Internet & Society)
  The Risky Behaviors and Online Safety track of Harvard University Berkman Center's Youth and Media Policy Working Group Initiative is creating a Compendium of youth-based Internet safety programs and interventions. We are requesting organizations, institutions, and individuals working in online youth safety to share descriptions of their effective programs and interventions that address risky behavior by youth online. We are particularly interested in endeavors that involve educators, social services, mentors and coaches, youth workers, religious leaders, law enforcement, mental health professionals, and those working in the field of public or adolescent health. Program descriptions will be made publicly available. Exemplary programs will be spotlighted to policy makers, educators, and the public so that they too can learn about different approaches being tried and tested. Submissions also will be used to inform recommendations for future research and program opportunities. Deadline: December 21, 2009.

Issue no. 402 - 18 October 2009

• DE - Eltern-Führer durch den "Medien-Dschungel" (Heise)
  Medienkompetenz braucht Vorbilder: Damit Kinder in Zukunft verantwortungsvoll mit Computerspielen, SchülerVZ und Handys umgehen können, setzt der Deutsche Kinderschutzbund auf die Eltern. Die Organisation stellte auf der Kölner Spielemesse gamescom die Initiative Medien-Dschungel vor, die Eltern den Umgang mit neuen Medien lehren soll. Das Projekt wurde in Kooperation mit der EU-Initiative klicksafe entwickelt.

• EU - How can we empower youngsters to stay safe online? Innovative solutions in Europe (Europa)
  Viviane Reding, Member of the European Commission responsible for Information Society and Media, World Childhood Foundation Seminar, Stockholm, 17 September 2009.

• SE - Online-safety ed, Swedish-style (Net Family News)
  The Swedish Media Council recently unveiled three 30-second animated videos designed to be distributed "virally" by the human peers of their star, "Eddy." He's "an impulsive teenage boy who tries out typical online behavior in the physical world," and he's meant to get youth thinking about why people act differently online. It's interesting to see what's rising to the top as the most salient concerns in many countries. Here are their links and descriptions: "'Eddie's blog' illustrates how easy it is to forget that online publication of texts and photos usually are available to everyone and not only the people they were intended for." "'Eddie comments' ... demonstrates that the illusion of anonymity on the Internet sometimes has a negative effect on people?s behavior. 'Eddie signs up' points out that signing up on a social networking site or registering as a user for a service usually entails giving away rights or approving that the information submitted can be used in other contexts." Here's the Swedish Media Council's site.

Issue no. 401 - 26 July 2009

• US - Best practices for online child safety (Google Policy Blog)
  by Jennifer Marsh, Policy Analyst. Protecting children online is a shared responsibility. The PointSmart.ClickSafe. Task Force, of which we're a member, is an important example of how industry leaders, safety advocates, and community organizations are working together keep kids safe online. This morning the Task Force released its Recommendations for Best Practices for Online Safety and Literacy, the culmination of a year-long effort. The most important and timely recommendation from the report (which previous online safety task forces all agree upon) is the need for digital media literacy and safety education that empowers kids, parents, and educators. It's important that kids of all ages learn what it mean to be a digital citizen and how to navigate the online world safely, and it's equally important that parents and educators have the resources and online tools to help kids make the right choices online.

Issue no. 400 - 5 July 2009

• DE - "Watch Your Web" wirbt für mehr Datenbewusstsein bei Jugendlichen (Heise)
  Mit "viralen" Spots soll die Kampagne Watch Your Web sich im Internet und in Social Networks verbreiten; sie werden aber auch von MTV und der Deutschen Bahn gezeigt. in Berlin die Kampagne Watch Your Web gestartet, die Jugendlichen einen verantwortungsvollen Umgang mit persönlichen Daten im Netz nahelegen will.

Issue no. 398 - 13 April 2009

• AU - Microsoft, AFP partner for online safety program (PC World)
  The Australian Federal Police (AFP) and Microsoft have brought the ThinkUKnow education program to Australia. The program, which originated in the UK, is aimed at educating parents and teachers about how to keep kids away from online predators and other threats.

• CA - Respect Yourself website (Cybertip.ca)
  Welcome to Cybertip.ca's Respect Yourself website. Many safety campaigns geared at teens focus on the stereotypical sex offenders - creepy strangers preying on innocent, confused youth. This site has been created to remind users that there are other, more common concerns when it comes to your safety and the Internet. One of the most overlooked issues with the Internet has to do with sending pictures/video of yourself by email or instant messaging (IM), or posting them to a social networking or photo sharing site. Once these pictures/video are sent, there's no way for you to regain full control. Voir aussi: Respecte-toi.

• 2009-05-17 ITU - World Telecommunication and Information Society Day (ITU)
  The purpose of World Telecommunication and Information Society Day (WTISD) is to help raise awareness of the possibilities that the use of the Internet and other information and communication technologies (ICT) can bring to societies and economies, as well as of ways to bridge the digital divide. 17 May marks the anniversary of the signing of the first International Telegraph Convention and the creation of the International Telecommunication Union. Theme 2009: Protecting children in cyberspace. The theme of this year's WTISD aims at ensuring that children can safely access the Internet and its valuable resources without fear of falling prey to unscrupulous predators in cyberspace.

Issue no. 397 - 8 March 2009

• AU - Microsoft, AFP partner for online safety program (PC World)
  The Australian Federal Police (AFP) and Microsoft have brought the ThinkUKnow education program to Australia. The program, which originated in the UK, is aimed at educating parents and teachers about how to keep kids away from online predators and other threats.

• CA - Respect Yourself website (Cybertip.ca)
  Welcome to Cybertip.ca's Respect Yourself website. Many safety campaigns geared at teens focus on the stereotypical sex offenders - creepy strangers preying on innocent, confused youth. This site has been created to remind users that there are other, more common concerns when it comes to your safety and the Internet. One of the most overlooked issues with the Internet has to do with sending pictures/video of yourself by email or instant messaging (IM), or posting them to a social networking or photo sharing site. Once these pictures/video are sent, there's no way for you to regain full control. Voir aussi: Respecte-toi.

• FR - Pedagojeux.fr invite les parents à mieux appréhender les jeux vidéo (Vnunet.fr)
  "Le temps du jeu", "La violence et le jeu", "La dépendance présumée au jeu" - Voici quelques-uns des thèmes abordés par Pedagojeux.fr, le nouveau site d'information sur les jeux vidéo destiné aux familles. L'ergonomie du site est agréable et la navigation aisée grâce à six onglets ("Sujets sensibles", "Jeu et rapports sociaux", "Bien choisir son jeu", "Équipements", "Aspects financiers", "Droits et devoirs") et grâce à un moteur de recherche efficace. Pendant neuf mois, un comité de pilotage, composé de la DIF, du programme Internet sans Crainte (soutenu par la Communauté Européenne), du FDI, de l'Unaf, de l'association Action Innocence, du Sell, de Microsoft, de Bayard Jeunesse et de Jeuxonline, s'est réuni. Une poignée de scientifiques a été consultée pour la réalisation du site ou a directement contribué.

• Sex, lies and the internet (Economist)
  Safety tips for parents on protecting kids from harassment in cyberspace - with strong criticism of Google for hiding e-mail senders' IP addresses.

Issue no. 396 - 8 February 2009

• EU - Safer Internet programme 2009 - 2013 published (EUR-Lex)
  OJ L 348 of 24 December 2008. Decision No 1351/2008/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 December 2008 establishing a multiannual Community programme on protecting children using the Internet and other communication technologies. PDF.

• Tuesday 10 February: Take part in the Safer Internet Day (RAPID)
  Online technologies are becoming a favourite way for young people to communicate. However, they need to be aware of the potential risks they may encounter in the online environment, and know how to deal with them. INSAFE, the network of European Safer Internet Centres, has initiated the Safer Internet Day, an annual international event that will be celebrated in 2009 for the sixth time. The flagship event of Safer Internet Day 2009 will take place in Luxembourg, and will be attended by Viviane Reding, European Commissioner for Information Society and Media. It will focus on social networking, a phenomenon which has been quickly and widely adopted by young people in recent years. On 10 February, the main social networking sites active in Europe will sign an agreement in which industry will commit itself to maximize the benefits of the internet while managing the potential risks to children and young people. To empower children and young people to deal with these risks, on Safer Internet Day the Commission will launch a Europe-wide communication campaign and unveil a video clip on cyber-bullying, one of the most frequent problems young people encounter on the internet..

• US - Stalking texters, sexting monsters: A bit of help (Net Family News)
  If your kids even know someone who knows someone who's getting pressured by a peer to send nude photos of him or herself via cellphone, you might appreciate watching Brandon playing the roles of Mom, Dad, guidance counselor, and boyfriend as potential confidants in a situation like this. What If in ThatsNotCool.com. You might also love the quite fruity Pressure Pic Problem. ThatsNotCool.com is brilliant too. It's co-created and -sponsored by the Family Violence Prevention Fund, Ad Council, and Office on Violence Against Women "to address new and complicated problems between teens who are dating or hooking up - problems like constant and controlling texting, pressuring for nude pictures, and breaking into someone's email or social-networking page."

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