New online safety programme for children launched in Britain

A new educational scheme for school pupils has been launched by the UK charity Childnet and (ISC)2. The scheme will operate in Britains schools from November 2006 and will involve volunteer IT security professionals giving presentations on issues of Internet security to children. The presentations will be free of charge and are aimed at young teenagers, who will be given important information regarding the potential dangers of the Internet.

It is hoped these presentations will help pupils not only learn about the dangers, but also to find out about how the Internet can be used to their advantage. The presenters will encourage teens to use the web responsibly and positively in order to make it a safer and better place. However, issues of personal safety, data protection and rights management will also be raised during the sessions.

The Childnet International Internet charity, launched in 1995, already runs award winning Internet safety programmes such as Kidsmart, which has been operational for a number of years. The charity has also recently announced a strategic alliance with the e-Learning Foundation, launched in Britain in 2001 in order to promote and increase access to IT resources in education. Both online and offline resources are used by Childnet to make the Internet a safer place for children, and the new initiative is seen by the organisation as an exciting project.

Childnets materials on IT safety have already been distributed to all UK schools, but a live presentation by professionals working in the field of technology and security can add an extra dimension to the learning process.