Safer Internet Day [Independent.ie]
- Published: 08 February 2011
All parents want to protect their children, and the experts explain how they can do that online as well as in real life
Computers and the internet are part of the very fabric of modern children's lives.
So much so, that a recent survey by internet security company AVG found that more young children know how to play a computer game than swim or ride a bike.
But just like the basic skills of cycling and swimming, kids who use the internet need to learn to do it properly.
And that means doing it safely - which is what Safer Internet Day (February 8) is all about.
The day is internationally co-ordinated by Insafe, a European network of Safer Internet Centres, which has adopted 'Virtual Lives' as the day's theme.
As well as encouraging children and their parents to look at how they present themselves in online spaces ranging from social networking sites to role-playing games, the theme aims to highlight the fact that most people now spend some time on the internet.
Insafe's project co-ordinator Janice Richardson points out that horror stories in the media about the dangers of the internet for children, such as paedophiles grooming them, and cyberbullying, may make parents frightened of their children using the internet.
Full Story: www.independent.ie
