Do you worry about your kids being safe online? Are you 100% confident that you’ve got your kids’ devices set up so they can’t access anything dodgy?
New research by BT and Unicef UK reveals that whilst the majority of parents worry about their children accessing inappropriate content online (61 per cent), more than half of parents (51 per cent) allow their children to play on their computers unsupervised.
Most parents (87 per cent) have discussed internet safety with their children and of those that haven’t, 31 per cent say they haven’t because they trust them, but more than one in ten (12 per cent) say it’s because their child knows more about the internet than they do.
So to address this, BT and Unicef UK have partnered for a three year programme, ‘The Right Click: Internet Safety Matters’, where they host workshops on internet safety in schools.
The programme is designed to help children, their families and teachers to use the internet safely and create a forum for them to chat to each other about any worries.
Check out this video for a behind the scenes look at a workshop where parents, teachers and children talk about internet safety and how they can protect themselves online.
Pete Oliver, commercial and marketing director, BT Consumer, said: “The internet is a powerful tool, especially for children. The time children are spending online is continuing to grow, particularly with children aged 8-11. This can be daunting for parents that aren’t necessarily digital savvy and most parents (94 per cent) have worries about their children online. However, with the right knowledge, communication and parental controls in place, we can all ensure that the internet can be a safe place.”
The workshops are also valued by children, with three quarters (75 per cent) saying they would talk to a trusted adult about staying safe online and around 90 percent saying they would now tell an adult they trusted if something upset them online.
Catherine Cottrell, Unicef UK Deputy Executive Director, said: “We’re working with schools across the country to create safe and inspiring places to learn, where children are respected and their rights are protected. The Right Click: Internet Safety Matters workshops empower children to become confident and responsible digital citizens, enabling them to enjoy the enormous benefits that the internet has to offer, with the help of parents and teachers.”
Disclosure: This is a Sponsored Post which I have been commissioned to share with you. Internet Safety is an important issue for me as a parent, so I hope you don’t mind me posting about it on my blog 🙂
