Parents face a dilemma when it comes to their children’s use of the Internet. On the one hand, there are the perceived dangers, whether that means risk of contact with predatory adults operating online, “cyber bullying”, inadvertent exposure to violent or sexual content or targeting by advertisers. Adults also agonise over the amount of time young people devote to the computer – especially in the age of Facebook, MySpace, Bebo and other online social networks.

On the other hand, the Internet and associated technologies play an ever-increasing part in learning – at home as well as school. Children need to develop IT literacy – the skills to enable them to operate safely and effectively in order to capitalise on the wealth of knowledge and opportunities offered by the online world.

The parents who ban all online activity risk depriving their child of a tool that can enrich their education. 
Balancing the need for protection with the need for children to develop their IT skills is all the more difficult in an age when even very young children’s grasp of new technologies routinely outstrips their parents’ understanding.
Earlier this year, the British government published the Byron report, an in-depth exploration by child psychologist Dr Tanya Byron of the potentially harmful effect of children’s use of the Internet and video games. Byron  pointed out that, while technologies are opening up vast opportunities for young people, their parents’ lack of confidence and awareness means they feel ill-equipped to protect and guide their offspring.

Guidance for parents

Byron’s recommendations include a one-stop shop on e-safety guidance for parents. Websites, social networks targeting young people online will be expected to tighten up their codes of practice, how they control advertising and to improve access to parental control software, making it easier for parents to set computers to limit what their children can look at online.

The Child Exploitation and Online Protection centre (Ceop), part of the UK police force, targets paedophiles who aim to befriend children online. Its Thinkuknow campaign includes advice for parents and carers aimed at helping them understand what their children do. Ceop launched Hector’s World, a new online safety programme for parents with children as young as five. If you think that’s too young for children to be fascinated by the Internet, note that 59% of 5- to 7-year-olds access the Internet at home and that 21% do so unsupervised, according to Ofcom.

The charity Childnet International runs a range of projects designed to promote Internet safety to young people. Know IT All for Parents, available online or as a CD-rom, is an initiative to help parents get to grips with the Internet so they can understand how their children use them.

Topic in school

Internet safety is a hot topic for schools too, of course. Schools have a duty of care towards young people, which means they must take every step possible to ensure students are protected from bullying, violence or other harm – online or otherwise. A school’s acceptable use policy (AUP) sets out what they will and won’t tolerate in terms of behaviour from pupils (and staff). Certain websites and online services are banned by schools and the local authorities who host schools’ Internet services. MySpace, the online social network, for example, is off limits in the vast majority of schools.

Finally, if you are concerned about your child’s use of the Internet at home, a couple of basic rules you can follow. First, talk to your child about what they do online. Ask them to show you their Facebook or MySpace profile, so you can see how it works and what they have posted there. Also, keep the computer in a family area, rather than in a child’s bedroom, so it’s easy for you to monitor. They will be less inclined to behave rashly online if at any moment mum or dad is likely to rear up in the background to look over their shoulder.

The Guardian