Internet Matters - protecting your children online
Today sees the launch of a brand new website, aimed at making the internet a safer place for children. I was a teenager when internet safety first had an impact on me, and that was back in the late 90s, when the internet really was in its infancy. These days there are so many more safety hazards on the internet. I learned pretty early on not to let my children click through on suggested YouTube videos, when my son was two and he tried to watch a Thomas the Tank Engine video which was full of swearing.
Today sees the launch of a brand new website, aimed at making the internet a safer place for children. I was a teenager when internet safety first had an impact on me, and that was back in the late 90s, when the internet really was in its infancy. These days there are so many more safety hazards on the internet. I learned pretty early on not to let my children click through on suggested YouTube videos, when my son was two and he tried to watch a Thomas the Tank Engine video which was full of swearing.
'The UK’s four major broadband providers; BT, Sky, Virgin Media and TalkTalk. The not-for-profit organisation sees the ‘big four’ put aside their commercial differences and join forces for the first time, to help parents safely navigate the internet with their children. The move will cement the UK’s position as a world-leader on child internet safety, advising parents to ‘learn about it, talk about it, deal with it’.
Internet Matters conducted research, which showed that a huge 74% of parents want more information and advice about online safety and 48% would prefer this information to be available online. It was because of this demand that the website Internetmatters.org has been created. The idea is that it is a one-stop hub which directs parents to valuable help and advice from the leading experts at organisations and charities in the child internet safety field. It will act as a single authoritative resource on child online safety. The initiative will encourage the wider technology industry, experts, policy makers and parents to work together to establish world-leading resources for parents which are effectively sign-posted. The idea is not to scare monger but to equip parents with the information they need to make informed decisions.
Harnessing the reach of the four major broadband providers, which extends to 90% of internet households in the UK, Internet Matters is expected to become a household name. Each broadband provider has its own child internet safety programme and network level parental controls, and Internet Matters.org will complement these activities and provide a forum for learnings and best practice'.
If you want to find out more, you can find the website here. I have looked through the website and have already found some incredibly useful information. There are all sorts of tips and hints for making it safer for you and your children to browse the internet. There are also easy to follow YouTube tutorials which can guide you through the steps to make these changes easier.
Below is a video about the launch of Internet Matters, with Sophie Ellis-Bextor and Janet Ellis.
Disclosure: We are TalkTalk Family Bloggers, but all opinions are my own.
