The internet has become a part of the everyday lives of so many children and young people in Ireland and while internet can be a very positive experience, all too often we hear of the dangers encountered by children while online. As a Safer Internet Project partner and a provider of online support services, the ISPCC has been vocal about the risks to children online as well as offering support and guidance to young people and parents about how to navigate the online world safely.

The ISPCC compiled the Safe Click Code as a support and information guide for staying safe online. The leaflet is aimed at parents and children.

In 2011 we published the findings of our National Children’s Consultation “This will come back and bite us in the butt; Children and the Internet. This survey yielded some shocking findings including a startling number of young people not using privacy settings on social networks, many giving out personal details about themselves and a large number of teenagers meeting up with people they met online.

A collaborative approach is needed to enhance the protection and safety of children on the internet with service providers, Government and parents and educators all having a role to play. Here are some recommendations that have been made by the ISPCC;

1. Introduction of a Panic Button; The development of a safety button or “Panic Button” for Facebook and other similar sites used by children and young people is vital. The ISPCC has been recommending this for several years. This is already in operation on Facebook UK who in conjunction with the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP) have an application allowing young users to report worrying or inappropriate behaviour to child protection authorities. The CEOP’s application, called clickCEOP, is a link not only to the CEOP website but also to nine other different sources of help including Childline and Beatbullying.

2. Legislation; The ISPCC believes that legislation for monitoring and addressing child abuse online needs to be enhanced to keep in line with the on-going development of technology. This can be done through;

 

•    Implementation of the EU Directive on Sexual abuse, sexual exploitation of children and child pornography. This framework lays down a set of common minimum rules for EU States.  It establishes common provisions on criminalisation, sanctions, aggravating circumstances, assistance to victims, grooming and the availability of child pornography.

•    Government, law enforcement and industry service providers working together to combat peer to peer software for the distribution of child abuse images and the blocking of sites offering such images.

•    Harsher sentences for those who view child abuse images on the web, as viewing it is equally a crime. We need to ensure that children are protected from those who habitually prey on them.
 

3. Parental vigilance is required to help keep young people safe online. Any child or young person using a social network site should be made aware of privacy settings and their importance from the moment they sign up. While service providers have a responsibility with this, parents also have an integral role to play in understanding privacy settings and monitoring their children’s safety.

As a member of the Safer Internet Ireland Project, the ISPCC is committed to providing support and information to ensure that children are safe online as well as advocating on their behalf to enhance their protection.

 

Safer Internet Ireland Project partners: