[Article] ISPCC calls for safeguards for children online

Victor

http://home.eircom.net/content/irelandcom/breaking/8583610?view=Eircomnet

ISPCC calls for safeguards for children online
From:ireland.com
Monday, 31st July, 2006

Urgent safeguards are needed to protect children using the Internet, the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (ISPCC) said today.

The organisation was responding to a survey that revealed some one in 10 children who had arranged to meet someone they met online experienced some form of abuse or threatening behaviour.

The ISPCC said its Childline support service in recent years had noticed an increased trend in calls relating to the Internet. The organisation said it would release statistics on such calls next year.

"Calls range from discussing incidents of online bullying to exploring the possibility of meeting new online friends," the ISPCC said.

The National Centre for Technology in Education survey found that in all cases of physical and verbal abuse reported among 848 nine- to 16-year-old Internet users, the person who introduced himself or herself as a child turned out to be an adult. One in 10 young people said the person they met tried to hurt them.

The ISPCC said the survey highlights the "urgent need for safeguards to be introduced relating to Internet safety for children".

"The ISPCC is especially concerned that one in 15 children surveyed reported that they had met in real life someone that they had first met on the Internet. Eleven per cent of these children said that the person they met up with tried to physically hurt them, and the research indicates that some of these individuals were adults who had previously posed as children.

"It is very important that young people are taught the necessary skills to use the Internet safely and to disclose incidents that could pose a threat. Parents have a vital role in this and need to be extremely vigilant regarding their children's use of the Internet.

They also need to ensure they communicate openly with their children about their Internet use and allow space for their child to discuss events and concerns regarding their online experiences," the ISPCC concluded.

http://home.eircom.net/content/irelandcom/topstories/8579809?view=Eircomnet

One child in 10 who met person on internet abused
From:ireland.com
Monday, 31st July, 2006

One in 10 Irish children who arranged to meet someone they first met on the internet experienced physical threats and abuse, according to a major new survey by the Department of Education.

In all the cases of physical and verbal abuse reported in the survey of internet usage among 848 nine- to 16-year-olds, the person who introduced himself or herself as a child turned out to be an adult. One in 10 young people said the person they met tried to hurt them.

Following recent controversies over chat rooms the survey found a small increase in the number of children that have visited "hateful websites", with one in five receiving "unwanted sexual comments".

The results of the National Centre for Technology in Education survey were last night described by the Minister for Education, Mary Hanafin, as "very worrying".

She said it was important for parents to realise that allowing children unregulated access to chat rooms and other social networks can have very dangerous consequences and advised young people to be cautious about the level of personal details and images which they upload onto their web pages.

"This survey contains a wealth of information about how our young people are using all forms of modern technology to access the internet and communicate through it. Worryingly though, it seems very often that parents are not fully aware of the hidden dangers that are part the emergence of these new technologies," she said.

The survey found that one in 15 children had met in real life someone that they first met on the internet, representing an increase from one in 22 in 2003. Almost 30 per cent said they had encountered someone new online who asked for information such as their photo, phone number, street address or school name, representing an increase of 19 per cent on a similar survey two years ago.

In a reflection of the growing popularity of the internet, a quarter of all children used the internet at home every day, 91 per cent said they owned a PC at home, while 33 per cent had a computer in their bedrooms. One in 10 used instant messaging at home every day or almost every day.

The survey follows the arrest in the last few days of a suspected internet paedophile in Canada, Mark Gary Bedford (21), who is accused of tricking young girls aged between nine and 15 into removing their clothes or performing sex acts over a webcam.

ANarcho-Munk

I haven't read the whole article and as much as I am a bit sickened by it ,there wouldn't be much a need for an internet safeguard if people just had half a brain.

lilmissprincess

The tesco thing now for about 20 euro is meant to show parents everything, even whats said in chatrooms..

PurpleFistMixer

Tesco thing?

Jello

Hmm yeah I heard that advertised.. but I've no fear of my parents buying that.
But is there really a need for some parents to see EVERYTHING their kids go onto?

PurpleFistMixer

I think if parents feel the need to monitor EVERY SINGLE THING their child does, they have more serious problems than the threat of internet paedos.

Jello

PurpleFistMixer wrote:

I think if parents feel the need to monitor EVERY SINGLE THING their child does, they have more serious problems than the threat of internet paedos.

Agreed.