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1 in 5 parents
surveyed don't have adequate online protection in place
NODDLE, is urging parents to ensure their children are safe
online as the results are released of an independently commission
study, carried out by YouGov, that shows the current potential
threats to children online.
As technology and the internet evolves, so does the content
available online and the way fraudsters and undesirable people use
this to find their next target. In this day and age it's important
that parents are doing all they can to help protect their children
both from harmful content and from sharing information whilst using
the latest internet enabled devices.
Tom Ilube, founder of Noddle, commented:- "These figures are
surprising to say the least as there are so many potential threats
to children online. It's important for parents to enquire when
purchasing an internet enabled device what safety filters can be
enabled. For those who already have a device with access to the
internet my advice would be to enable all safety filters in order to
safeguard both their children and their own personal data."
Below are Noddle's tips for safer internet use that everyone can
follow:-
► To keep your child safe online get yourself savvy on the internet
and online terminology, and most importantly, know how your child is
using it; understand what your child does online and know which
websites they visit .
►
Put the computer where the whole
family can see it, not out of sight in a bedroom.
►
Use filtering software to block
inappropriate sites.
►
Always set your privacy and
security settings on websites so only friends and family can see
your pages. Speak to other parents (friends of your child) about any
of their privacy setting which could affect you.
►
For social media sites and email
addresses, get your child to choose a nickname instead of their real
name.
►
Let your child know not to use
your maiden name as a password – choose something more difficult and
ideally include capital letters, numbers and non alphanumeric
characters e.g. #. %. And remind them to change their password
regularly.
►
Advise your child to watch what
they say online – before posting anything get them to think
carefully about what they want to say and how it could come across
to others.
►
Let your child know not to post
any personal information online – like their address, email address
or mobile number.
►
Be careful about which photos and
videos they share on social media sites; avoid photos of your home,
school or places they're associated with. Remember, once they've put
a picture online most people can see it and may be able to download
it, it's not just theirs anymore.
►
Remind your child that not
everyone online is who they say they are and they shouldn't meet up
with people they've met online, as
Ofcom's latest study shows that 43% of children aged five to 15 have
a social networking profile, rising to 80% of 12 to 15 year olds,
and on average older children have 286 social media 'friends'.
Tom continued:- "Children are innocently sharing information
online through social networking sites that could potentially open
them up to harm. As our results have shown a surprisingly high
percentage of parents are unaware of what information their child is
sharing, which could potentially fall into the wrong hands, ie.
would be fraudsters or undesirable people. By just providing
simple details such as your age, interests and contact details could
be enough for a fraudster to steal an identity or even for a
stranger to befriend an innocent child. It's vital for parents to
make their children aware of the importance of keeping some
information private no matter how innocent it may seem."
In support of Safer Internet Day the free for life credit report
service Noddle, provided by Callcredit Information Group, will be
tweeting tips on staying safe throughout the week.
For more information on Safer Internet Day
website.
The Kielder 3 put on their running
shoes for the Royal
A group of friends
is planning to run 2013 miles over the next 10 months in order to
raise money for the Royal Liverpool University Hospital.
The 'Kielder 3' – made up of Jimmy Hawkes (35), Andy
McCabe (35) and Bev Ellis (29) – is a group of amateur runners who
undertook their first marathon together at Kielder Water in
Northumberland last year. Inspired by completing the course, they
are now setting out to undertake a bigger and better challenge to
raise as much money as possible for 'R' Charity and
Macmillan Cancer Support.
The 3 runners have chosen these charities as each of them has had a
family member who has suffered from cancer. In fact, Bev's uncle
received stem cell treatment at the Royal last year, which is why
the group is so keen to see the money raised go towards the cancer
unit at the hospital.
The Royal provides the largest range of cancer services in
Merseyside and Cheshire; providing diagnosis, care and treatment for
over 20 different types of cancer. The hospital is the regional
centre for anal, bladder, haematological (blood), kidney,
pancreatic, prostate, sarcoma, spinal and testicular cancer. It is
also the regional centre for bone marrow and stem cell transplants
and the national centre for ocular oncology (eye cancer), 1 of only
3 in England.
Bev Ellis said:- "We are extremely excited about this
challenge and just really keen to raise as much money as we can for
the Royal and Macmillan Cancer Support, both of which play a pivotal
role in helping those with cancer. We are not professional runners
by any stretch of the imagination, but knowing that we will be
helping to support two such worthwhile causes will definitely help
us to forget our aches and pains and keep us motivated over the next
12 months."
The group will run every mile together and have planned a number of
events throughout the year to complete the challenge.
These include the Marathon of the
North in Sunderland, 28 April 2013, the Great North Run in
Newcastle, 15 September 2013 and the Chester Marathon, 6 October
2013.
The inaugural 'Kielder 3 24
Hour Relay' is also taking place this year, which will see
the group of friends run for 24 hours consecutively.
Loren Slade, community and events fundraiser at the Royal Liverpool
University Hospital, said:- "This is an incredible challenge
and one which will take a lot of time, energy and dedication. The
money raised will be used to improve and enhance the services we
provided to cancer patients at the hospital, allowing what is
sometimes a daunting experience to be that little more bearable. We
would urge people to dig deep and show their support."
To make a donation to the Kielder 3 or to find out more about the
challenge visit:-
kielder3.wordpress.com.
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NSPCC warns of
e-safety 'timebomb'
THE NSPCC is warning of an
e-safety 'time bomb' putting our children at risk and is
calling for age appropriate lessons to be held in all schools from
primary age. The charity is warning that the latest research,
calls to ChildLine, and focus groups with young people now show it's
beyond doubt that one of the major child protection issues facing
young people today is abuse via the internet and mobile phones.
ChildLine carried out 3,745 counselling sessions last year about
these issues with most callers aged between 12 and 15 years old. A
further 250 contacts were from children who actually said they were
being 'groomed' online. And there was a sharp increase in contacts
about exposure to online pornography with 641 contacts representing
a 70% increase for boys, with some callers as young as 11
years old. The ChildLine base in Liverpool handled 202 counselling
sessions about internet and mobile phone issues.
Whilst the best schools are already providing lessons on these
issues, the NSPCC believes it's no longer a topic that can be left
to chance and it's something parents struggle to keep up with. A
recent study by the charity found that young people want peer
lessons where they can share tips and advice with other young
people. ChildLine is visiting every primary school in the country to
discuss these and other child protection issues in an age
appropriate way.
The NSPCC is warning that:-
► A new generation of social media apps has opened up a Pandora's
box of potential danger.
► Sexting and hard core pornography are now the norm for many
teenagers with focus groups describing it as so common it's
'mundane'.
► Some young people are being targeted and blackmailed or coerced
into sending indecent images to strangers or peers.
► Cyber bullying is a growing and insidious problem where young
people can't escape from the intimidation and humiliation of it.
Claire Lilley, safer technology lead at the NSPCC, said:- "The
internet and mobile phones are now part and parcel of young people's
everyday lives. They are the first generation who have never known a
world without them. The benefits are huge, both socially and
educationally, but so too are the dangers.
Young people tell us they are experiencing all sorts of new forms of
abuse on a scale never before seen. It's now clear that we are
facing an e-safety timebomb with this being 1 of the biggest child
protection issues of our time.
We cannot put the genie back in the bottle but we can talk to our
children about this issue. Parents, schools, technology companies,
and young people themselves can all play their part. The theme of
this year's Safer Internet Day is online 'rights and
responsibilities'; we need to help young people find the balance
between the 2."
Peter Davies, Chief Executive at the Child Exploitation and Online
Protection Centre, said:- "Online abuse is abuse and the
effects can be devastating for young people, and in some instances
life threatening. Situations can rapidly feel out of their
control and on a daily basis at the Centre we hear from very scared
and concerned children who are desperate for help. With smart phones
and free apps young people can easily communicate with strangers
online and share images on the move. It's vital children know the
risks. If something goes wrong there is help out there, either from
the NSPCC or reporting to CEOP.
Parents and carers can make a vital difference in whether or not a
child becomes a victim. There are dedicated educational resources
and safety tools for parents and children at our site
thinkuknow.co.uk."
The NSPCC is calling for:-
► Lessons in all schools on internet safety, where possible with
young people themselves sharing tips for keeping safe online. ChildLine is visiting every primary school in the country to discuss
these and other child protection issues.
► All parents to access available support and information and talk
to their children about this issue as they would stranger danger or
drugs. And for children to talk to a trusted adult or call ChildLine if they need help.
► Internet Service Providers to stick to their commitment to
introduce a clear and easy choice system for parents to install
blocks and filters.
274 counselling sessions were carried out by ChildLine on 'sexting'
with girls 9 times more likely to contact the service about it than
boys. Many young people said the problem was caused by someone known
to them with 'male acquaintance' being the most commonly cited
perpetrator. And 2,410 contacts were received about cyber bullying,
a 7% increase on the previous year.
Whilst some of these numbers are small, our focus groups tell us
this is just the tip of the iceberg. A comprehensive study carried
out by the NSPCC and Plymouth University found that even by the age
of just 14 years old young people said sexting was becoming 'mundane'.
Others said that watching pornography from the internet was so easy
that it was even considered a bit passé and having your own home
made images and videos were the only way to win respect among peer
groups. And a recent poll by ChildLine revealed that
⅔ of young people who have taken an explicit photo of
themselves say that it was shared.
One girl who called ChildLine said:- "My boyfriend has posted
dirty pictures of me on the internet. I have had suicidal thoughts
and have self-harmed a lot. If my parents find out they will be very
angry."
Another said:- "I am really upset as I am being bullied by 2
people from school, they send me horrible instant messages on the
internet. They also post nasty stuff about me on a social networking
site and call me names in their statuses."
And a boy said:- "My friend in school has porn on his phone
and he showed it to me. Since then I have become addicted to it."
ChildLine is visiting every primary school in the country to talk
about these and other child protection issue in an age appropriate
way. We are also encouraging schools to direct pupils to ChildLine
if they need support or just someone to talk to.
The Kielder 3 put on their running
shoes for the Royal
A 29 year old man who
robbed a rail passenger of his phone and tobacco has been jailed for
40 months. Christopher John Fisher appeared at Liverpool Crown Court
for sentence today, Tuesday, 5 February, having pleaded guilty to
robbery at an earlier hearing. The court was told Fisher, of Hannan
Road, Liverpool, had approached the victim at the man entrance to
Liverpool Lime Street Station, at around 11.40am on 6 January 2013.
Fisher, who was with another man, initially engaged the victim in
conversation and asked of he could have a cigarette paper and some
tobacco. The victim, a 31 year old man from Lancaster, agreed and
the three men stood together for a short time. Fisher then moved
closer to the victim, told him he had a knife in his pocket and
demanded the victim's mobile phone and the remainder of his tobacco.
Fearing for his safety; and believing Fisher had a knife; the victim
handed over his property. Far from being satisfied with this, Fisher
then grabbed the victim's hand and crushed his fingers into his
palm. At this point 2 British Transport Police officers on routine
patrols at the station noticed the victim seemed afraid and
approached the 3 men. The victim managed to tell the officers what
had happened and Fisher was immediately arrested. No knife was found
by the officers, with Fisher, who admitted taking the victim's
property, initially claiming it was the third man who had made the
threats.
Detective Chief Inspector Malcolm McKinnon, of British Transport
Police, said:- "Though the victim, who was simply trying to
make his way home to Lancaster, wasn't seriously injured during the
robbery, he was traumatised by the experience. Thankfully British
Transport Police officers were on-hand to assist and thanks to their
prompt action we able to quickly detain Fisher who, without their
intervention, would have taken the victim's property."
DCI McKinnon added:- "The sentence handed down by the court
clearly shows the severity of Fisher's crime and demonstrates that
the wider criminal justice system will take all appropriate action
against those who seek to profit from crime. Though this is the
second robbery conviction in recent weeks for BTP in Merseyside I
would stress the serious crime is extremely rare on the rail network
and in each of the past 7 years, we have recorded significant
reductions in levels of offending." |
