British university to be a pioneering force in child safety on the internet

Today sees the launch of Newcastle University’s programme designed to help parents keep their children safe on the internet. This pioneering new programme has been developed on response to the rise in child-targeted cyber crime, and the university’s Centre for Cybercrime and Computer Security has developed a nationwide training programme to teach parents how to help their children use the internet safely.

There are various topics being covered by the course - the use of a ‘Checkstick’ which can download a trace of every website visited by your child, ‘time-out’ settings which prevent children using the web late at night, and a guide to the dangers of using social networking sites are just some of them

Heading up the initiative is Newcastle University’s Phil Butler, a former DCI with Northumbria Police and founding member of the North East Fraud Forum. ‘What came out of our discussions with parents is that not only are many of them frightened of the internet and the dangers it poses to their children but they also have a real sense of helplessness,’ Mr Butler explained.

‘They feel they are unable to protect their children because they aren’t equipped with the technical know-how.  Our aim is to not only raise awareness of the dangers of unsupervised use but also to empower parents to be able to help their child use the internet safely so they can enjoy all the benefits it has to offer without being put at risk.’

Click here for full press release.

Find out more about Newcastle University.

Content added on 19th October 2009.

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