Local MEP urges East Midlands' schools to participate in Internet Security Day 2007

10.12.22am GMT Wed 31st Jan 2007

Tuesday 6th February, 2007 is Safer Internet Day.

Bill Newton Dunn, LibDem MEP for the East Midlands is urging local schools to participate in events being held to promote the safe use of the Internet by young people. The major event this year will be a worldwide blogathon on the subject of safe Internet use.

Bill says,

Children are prolific users of the Internet. In addition to surfing the Internet for information, they also register their details online. It is estimated that 60% of 13-17 year olds have an online public profile. Paedophiles and other cyber criminals are aware of this and use chat rooms and blogs to target youngsters. According to an LSE report, one in twelve children have arranged to meet someone offline whom they met online.

We cannot, and should not, stop children using a resource as useful as the Internet. However, we must take steps to ensure that they can enjoy safe use of the Internet. In addition to teaching children how to use the internet safely, we must provide training for people working with children such as teachers, librarians and, of course, parents. There are a number of excellent websites in the UK which offer advice on Internet safety for parents, professionals and children such as www.kidsmart.org.uk, www.ceop.gov.uk and www.internetsafetyzone.com