QuickLinks - Safer Internet awareness

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Issue no. 203 - 19 July 2001

• UK - Guide warns children of internet risks (Ananova)
  A charity's guidance for parents on how to ensure their children use the internet safely is being made available in a nationwide network of electrical stores. NCH said it wants its NetSmart Rules to reach as many families as possible and they are now to be found free of charge in Comet's 264 shops.

• UK - Street star highlights net risks (BBC)
  A soap actress whose teenage character is duped by an internet stalker is helping to teach children about the dangers of online chatrooms. See also Chatroom safety system launched for internet youngsters (Ananova) .

Issue no. 201 - 26 June 2001

• One in Five U.S Kids Solicited for Sex on Internet (Reuters)
  One in five U.S. teenagers who regularly log on to the Internet say they have received an unwanted sexual solicitation via the Web, according to a survey by the Crimes Against Children Research Center at the University of New Hampshire published in this week's issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. See also Teens Shrug Off E-Pervs (Standard). ,A study says that 1 in 5 kids have been harassed on the Internet, but that bigger problems lurk offline.

• Parents need safe surfing lessons too (BBC)
  Parents keen to ensure their children stay safe online are being advised to become as familiar with web browsing and chatting technology as their offspring. The advice comes from the Once Project, an EU-backed project that is researching ways for children to stay safe when using the web.

• Parents, kids debate Net monitoring (AP)
  Ask the parents, and they'll say they check on their teen-age children's use of the Internet. Ask the kids, and they'll say, "No way." The perception gap was revealed in a survey. The Pew Internet and American Life Project also found that the Internet helps youths ages 12 to 17 improve relationships with friends, but not with family. see Teenage Life Online (Pew Internet)
  The rise of the instant-message generation and the Internet's impact on friendships and family relationships.

• Safer Internet Action Plan: intermediate evaluation (European Commission)
  Report May 2001, regulatory and technological overview and terms of reference

• Study: Parents Actively Monitoring Kids' Web Use (Reuters)
  More parents are setting online rules for their children, including how to respond to personal questions, and limiting the time they let their kids spend surfing the Web, according to a survey released by the Walt Disney Co. see Parents play a key role in helping kids' understand the importance of internet safety (Press Release).

• Web Awareness (Media Awareness Network)
  Young Canadians In A Wired World: The Students' View is a nationwide investigation of Internet use among Canadian youth, exploring what they do online, how they perceive the Internet and what they know about it. the data also presents findings which show that, in this age of connectivity, there is a substantial discrepancy in how parents see their children using the Internet, and what their children are actually doing online. voir aussi Les jeunes Canadiens dans un monde branché: la perspective des élèves et Savez-vous vraiment ce que vos enfants font sur Internet? (Multimédium).

Issue no. 200 - 14 June 2001

• AOL et la sécurité des enfants sur le Web (Branchez-vous)
  93% des Canadiens croient que le public devrait recevoir plus d'informations au sujet de la sécurité des enfants sur Internet et 90% des parents croient qu'il est de leur devoir d'exercer un contrôle lors des périodes de navigation de leur enfant.

Issue no. 199 - 4 June 2001

• Newsletter (Safer Internet)
  The third issue of the Safer Internet newsletter has been published (PDF). Main points: launch of a discussion forum, spotlights on "DotSafe, dot sure and eSchola" and "Focussing on filtering", and major news items including the adoption of the text of the Council of Europe convention on cybercrime, the announcement of the EC cybercrime forum and the launch of INHOPE's new website. See also Version française, deutsche Fassung and previous issues, HTML version.

Issue no. 198 - 28 May 2001

• EC promotes safer internet campaign (vnunet.com)
  The European Commission has set up a new website, designed to promote internet safety awareness issues. The website provides concerned citizens with a central European hub to respond to illegal or harmful content on the web. It includes information on where to find advice on the safer use of the internet and how to report illegal content through the network of hotlines, and gives examples of current filtering and rating software. Campaigners can also find details on European Union (EU) funded projects and activities, and information about how to apply for EU funding.

• Singaporeans Favor Education For Net Problems - Survey (Newsbytes)
  A recent survey of parents in Singapore found that most trusted their children to behave responsibly online, and that they preferred to use education for problems with Net content.

• UNICEF promueve el buen uso de Internet a través de la campaña Capitán Net (ZDNN)
  Con el objetivo de promover un mejor uso de la Red por parte de padres, educadores y niños, el Comité Español de UNICEF, junto con la compañía española Optenet, la ONG italiana dedicada a la formación Elis y el apoyo del Ministerio de Ciencia y Tecnología, han lanzado la campaña Capitán Net. La incitativa de esta campaña, dirigida especialmente a niños y niñas, se enmarca dentro del Plan de Acción, creado en 1999 por la Unión Europea, para el uso seguro de Internet. Unicef lanza el programa Capitannet (Europa Press);

Issue no. 197 - 21 May 2001

• Protecting Kids Online (Washington Post)
  Reporter Jacqui Salmon and her guest Jim Browne, director of GetNetWise, a non profit group intended to help parents guide their children in the digital age talk about cyberspace "rules of the road" for parents and kids.

Issue no. 195 - 8 May 2001

• Ten tips for looking after your children in cyberspace (Sunday Times)
  According to research firm NOP, 5m children aged under 16 are now online. One of their favourite activities is online chat. In this anonymous, faceless world, it is vital that parents are alert to the dangers posed by predators who "groom" children to win their trust. see also What parents can do.

Issue no. 193 - 3 April 2001

• Keeping Kids Online in Line (Los Angeles Times)
  Monitoring software--which can secretly record all Web sites visited, every chat message and all e-mails--is the latest electronic tool used by parents and spouses to track online activities. Its use brings up contentious issues concerning privacy and trust. Kids are vulnerable online, but privacy advocates warn that parents should think long and hard before they undermine the trust of their children.

Issue no. 192 - 26 March 2001

• Consumers Connected (ERICA)
  One stop for advice! The trusted charities NCH and European Research into Consumer Affairs are teaming up to bring you one combined stop for both kids’ and parents’ problems with the Internet. Buying on the net, avoiding hazards to children, your rights to complain - look on our joint pages for information! And throughout this page you will find links to relevant information.

• NCH - A parent's guide to the internet (NCH)
  The Internet is a huge technological achievement promising great benefits to society. However, as with many new or emerging technologies, the Internet has brought a number of unfamiliar problems in its wake. Find out how to keep your children safe on the internet. see also Open letter to Rt Hon Jack Straw MP and Agenda for Action.

• Safe Kids (PC World)
  Try these 23 parent-approved tips to defend children and teens against Internet dangers --from overzealous marketers to online criminals.

• UK - new protection for children from unsuitable material on the Internet in schools (DfEE)
  New guidance for schools is to be displayed on the DfEE’s Internet safety website on the following areas: emails for pupils, filtering systems, school websites, and chat rooms. The revised guidance to schools recommends whole class rather than individual Internet email addresses, where possible. The guidance will stipulate that no children be identified by name or by other personal details and will advise that schools think carefully about their reasons for including pictures of children on their websites.It will also give advice for pupils, teachers and parents about chat rooms in an educational context.

• UK - Bedroom Net 'puts children in danger' (Times)
  Families were advised to move computers from children’s bedrooms to living rooms to protect them from Internet paedophiles. Girls between 13 and 17 are most at risk from sex offenders who pose as children in chat rooms then lure their victims into sexual abuse. Paedophiles are also monitoring school e-mail addresses and today schools will be advised to avoid putting individual pictures of children on their systems. A report highlighting the need for vigilance over the use of Internet chat rooms estimated that five million children were online in Britain and that a quarter used chat rooms that allowed messages to be typed to anyone else in the room at that time. see Chatwise (Internet Crime Forum) . see also Chat wise, street wise - safe internet chat for children and Government challenges internet industry to make chatrooms "chat wise street wise" (Home Office Press Releases).

Issue no. 191 - 19 March 2001

• Are we Failing our Children? (Childnet International)
  An assessment of Internet Safety Initiatives Key Note speech at the Safer Surfing Conference, Singapore, Feb 2001, by Nigel Williams.

• Information Harvesting measures (ONCE Project - Rachel O'Connell)
  Developing a protective buffer-zone for chat users. On-line solicitation via chatrooms is a very worrying aspect of computer-mediated communications. This paper will outline a set of measures for children, parents, teachers and carers, which both complements existing safety guidelines and also addresses the heart of the issues surrounding on-line solicitation, i.e. de-cloaking on-line anonymity.

• Safer Internet Project Map (saferinternet.org)
  At the Safer Internet awareness meeting on 25 January 2001 in Luxembourg, it was suggested that it would be useful to have a map showing Safer Internet hotline, filtering /rating and awareness projects participants by country. This is now online.

Issue no. 188 - 24 February 2001

• Cyber-smut the main worry for parents (Straits Times)
  Pornography and the danger of meeting unwholesome strangers via chatrooms are the two main worries parents in Singapore have about their children going online, said the spokesman for a parents' advisory body here.

• One in two teens 'tricked' into porn websites (Straits Times)
  They stumble onto sex sites by typing the wrong address or by clicking on innocent-looking links, says NTU study

• Web-related problems affecting youths (Straits Times)
  These include obsessive surfing, accessing pornography and meeting the wrong people through the Net

• USA - New program aims to help kids avoid online predators (Cox News Service)
  A partnership of public and private groups launched a new program to make the Internet a safer place for children. NetSmartz Workshop uses Web-based technology to teach children in an entertaining way. see also Animated character helps kids fight online predators (CNN).

Issue no. 187 - 17 February 2001

• Canadian Strategy to Promote Cyber-Safety (Press Release)
  The Minister of Industry and Minister of Justice announced the launch of the Canadian Strategy to Promote Safe, Wise and Responsible Internet Use (version françl;aise), a new initiative that will equip Canadian teachers and parents with tools and resources to help them protect children against the dangers of illegal and offensive Internet content. see also:
  • The Media Awareness Network is a non-government, not-for-profit Canadian organization that supports media education for Canada's parents, educators, librarians and community leaders.
  • The Internet Protection Portal, established by the Canadian Association of Internet Providers provides information about on-line hate propaganda, the use of the Internet to lure children, and consumer issues.
  • Industry Canada's SchoolNet National Advisory Board can help with online issues related to the classroom.
  • Missing, a computer game, video and guide that teaches children how to surf safely and warns about on-line predators, is in 10,000 schools and libraries.
  • Information on filters and content labeling
  • Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) Report on New Media.
  • Canadian Association of Internet Providers' Code of Conduct
  • The study Canada's Children in a Wired World.

Issue no. 185 - 27 January 2001

• Germany - Internet-ABC: Portal für Internetkompetenz (Pressemitteilung)
  Bertelsmann Stiftung, Heinz Nixdorf Stiftung und Landesanstalt für Rundfunk Nordrhein-Westfalen schaffen zentrale Internet-Plattform zur Förderung der Medienkompetenz - Online-Internet-Ratgeber für Eltern und Kinder. siehe auch Das kindgerechte Handbuch fürs Internet (dpa) .

Issue no. 184 - 20 January 2001

• EU Internet Action Plan Moving Forward (Newsbytes)
  No less than 10 European Union (EU)-funded projects, all aiming to make the Internet a safer place to surf and exchange e-mail, are now under way.

Issue no. 182 - 20 December 2000

• Help child know the risks of chat rooms (San Jose Mercury)
  Much has been written about dangers on the Internet, but if your child is going to get in trouble online, chances are that it will be because of something that happens in a chat room.

• La CECU publica recomendaciones para el uso seguro de Internet (Europa Press)
  La Confederación de Consumidores y Usuarios (CECU) publicó hoy un decálogo de recomendaciones para evitar el uso indebido de Internet por los menores y limitar su acceso a 'páginas web' con contenidos violentos, sexistas o pornográficos.

Issue no. 180 - 3 December 2000

• Microsoft wants children to play it safe online (CNET News.com)
  The Los Angeles Lakers basketball star Shaquille O'Neal, along with Olympic ice skating gold medalist Tara Lipinski, is promoting Microsoft's Internet privacy and safety portal for children. Stay Safe Online teaches children how to protect their personal information online.

• Safe Surfing 2001 (PAGi / NIAC)
  22 - 24 February 2001, Singapore. Safe Surfing 2001 is the first ever International Convention on On-line Safety. The event will gather world renowned authorities on on-line safety and organisations promoting child safety on the Internet to exchange ideas and best practices.

Issue no. 178 - 19 November 2000

• Cyber-savvy means safe (The Times)
  Why bar your children from the wonders of the web, when teaching them some commonsense guidelines can help them to enjoy happy, confident surfing

• Des parents hors ligne (Libération)
  Sondage Ipsos-Libération-Powow.net. Les parents sont 62% à se dire «préoccupés» par l'usage que leurs enfants font du Web, mais ils ignorent les vrais dangers. voir aussi «Je ne vais pas censurer mes gamins, question de confiance» et le site Powow.net qui propose un dossier très complet sur le thème «les enfants et le Net: éduquer ou contrôler?».

• The buck stops at the parent (The Sunday Times)
  Guide to child safety online. Part one: Sally Kinnes discovers how easy it is to access online pornography. See also part two: Spotting the wolves in sheep's clothing Chat rooms offer kids a way to make new friends. They also offer paedophiles their victims on a plate.

Issue no. 171 - 1 October 2000

• Justice Site To Drop Anti-Napster Spin (Biz Report)
  A Web site financed by the Justice Department and the recording industry to teach children cyber-ethics is being accused of pushing anti-Napster propaganda.

• USA - Family's Guidance Can Blunt the Effect of Video Violence (New York Times)
  As members of the Senate Commerce Committee prepare for Round 2 in the debate over violent entertainment, they may want to peek over the shoulders of children.

• Italy - Pedofilia: Bambini In Rete, 1 Collegamento Su 10 a Rischio (ANSA)
  Mai lasciare i bambini navigare in Internet senza la guida dei genitori: una volta su 10 in cui si collegano alla rete rischiano di essere molestati verbalmente o con tentativi di adescamento al di fuori della rete. E' quanto e' emerso dall'inchiesta condotta in rete da Marco Strano, del gruppo di studio sul Computer crime dell'universita' cattolica di Roma, e i cui risultati preliminari saranno presentati domani, nel primo convegno di psichiatria organizzato on-line (all'indirizzo http://psy.cyb.it). vedere anche Pedofilia:Internet,Da Psichiatri Regole Per Genitori e Bimbi.

Issue no. 170 - 24 September 2000

• UK - Internet Watch Foundation releases Safe Surfing Guide (IWF)
  IWF's new Web site, including an extensive "Safe Surfing Guide" aimed at helping parents keep their children safe on the Net. See also Through the Net , a test of the 7 leading filtering products available in the UK, written and published by the Consumers' Association's publication, Which?

• UK - Welcome to the Parents Online home page (DfEE)
  This website intends to show parents the educational benefits of the Internet. When you and your children use this site together you can create a learning partnership. This will help your children use the Internet safely and productively both at home and at school. see also Safe Surfing page.

Issue no. 168 - 9 September 2000

• Australia - Safety on the Net (DCITA)
  NetAlert, an advisory service that includes a toll free national help line and an informative website to help Australians manage Internet content access with greater certainty has been launched.

• USA - New Web Site To Teach Kids Netiquette (BizReport)
  The Justice Department and the Information Technology Association of America (ITAA) launched a new Web site, the Cyber Citizen Partnership designed to help teachers and parents steer tech-savvy youngsters away from the dark side of the Internet. The Web site offers a variety of resources for teaching kids the Internet's legal rules of the road.

Issue no. 164 - 15 July 2000

• Canada - Canada's Children In A Wired World: The Parents' View (Media Awareness Network)
  In the survey parents were asked for their opinions on their child's Internet use, the benefits and risks associated with their child's use of the Internet, effective measures for addressing Internet safety issues and inappropriate online content.

• USA - Awareness key for cybercrime prevention (IDG.net)
  The biggest challenges law enforcement officials face when combating child pornography and stalking is public awareness and informing citizens about how to report crimes.

Issue no. 161 - 25 June 2000

• Safer Internet - Call for tenders: IAPEXCH Safer Internet Awareness Exchange (OJ)
  The European Commission has published an open call for tenders in the framework of the action plan on promoting safer use of the Internet. The services cover the following area: gathering and dissemination of relevant information for the Internet action plan work programme and its funded initiatives. OJ S115 of 17.06.2000. Deadline for tenders: 15.09.2000.

Issue no. 160 - 17 June 2000

• Commission promotes Safer Internet (RAPID)
  Ten projects are being financed under the European Commission's Action Plan on promoting safer use of the Internet. This Action Plan runs for four years (1999 - 2002) and provides 25 million euro funding for measures to deal with illegal and harmful content on the global network. A new call for proposals for awareness actions and hotlines is also under way.

Issue no. 152 - 15 April 2000

• EU - Proposals for awareness actions requested (European Commission)
  A call for proposals for awareness actions under the Action Plan for promoting safer use of the Internet has been published in the Official Journal (OJ C110, 15.4.2000). The time-limit for presenting proposals is 7 July 2000. The technical background document, guide for proposers, application forms, and model contract are all available on the website.

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