Press

National Campaign to Help Young People Stay Safe on the Net
“Getting to Know IT All Launches today”

Launch event hosted by Pimlico School, Westminster

LONDON – UK - 01 November 2005 - A pioneering national campaign launched today is to help teachers and parents promote Internet safety for children and young people through the provision of important resources and a unique school visit programme. The campaign “Getting to Know IT All” will be launched today by Maria Eagle MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Children, Young People and Families, at Pimlico School, Westminster. It is run by a partnership led by Microsoft, MSN, a leading children’s Internet safety agency, Childnet International and the Virtual Global Taskforce, a new international alliance of law enforcement agencies specialising in child protection on the internet.

Recent research found that 46 percent of children aged 11-19 years old have given out personal information about themselves to someone they have met online and one third of daily and weekly users have received unwanted sexual (31%) or nasty comments (33%) online or by text message*. “Getting to Know IT All” aims to facilitate understanding amongst parents and young people surrounding potential internet risks such as undesirable content and inappropriate online communication, and provide advice on developing safe and discriminating behaviour whilst online.

A range of new and interactive resources will provide teachers, students and parents with a virtual classroom focused on the issues of computer and Internet safety for young people. The content will provide an ongoing source of information and support available online at www.msn.co.uk/youngpeoplesafeonline, and includes quizzes for young people, lesson plans and curriculum materials for teachers and modules specifically designed for parents. Packs including a CD-ROM with a teacher presentation and in-depth guidance notes, and a range of student and parent posters and leaflets have been sent out to all schools teaching 11-14 year olds throughout the UK within the last week.

Furthermore, trained volunteers, from the Police and Microsoft, will visit almost 100 schools in England and Northern Ireland throughout November to support and advise young people, teachers and parents on the issue. Through the powerful ‘Getting to Know IT All’ presentation, these schools will be provided with an overview of Internet safety and introduced to the new resources for further exploration of the issue.

In developing the programme and materials on offer, the partners have sought advice from Becta (The British Educational Communications and Technology Agency). The intention has been to provide some fresh and contemporary resources to support the Department for Education and Skills’ approach to the issue of internet safety for children. The visit programme could also offer a contribution towards the “Every Child Matters” agenda.

Alistair Baker, Managing Director Microsoft UK comments: “An increasing number of young people are recognizing the vast benefits the Internet can bring, and it is crucial we educate them on how to protect themselves whilst online. As parents and responsible citizens we are all concerned that our children are able to enjoy and safely use the Internet. Microsoft is proud to have helped to develop a resource that will enable children to understand the basic steps of protecting themselves and their PCs.”

Stephen Carrick-Davies, Chief Executive Officer of Childnet International said: "We know from our experience of working in schools that teachers need practical support and resources to help young people understand Internet and mobile phones safety issues.” He further adds, “We hope the resources and the volunteer programme will enable a meaningful dialogue between young people, teachers and parents so that we can learn from each other and all play our part in understanding the opportunities as well as the dangers of communications technologies.”

Jim Gamble, Deputy Director General of the National Crime Squad, said: "We are delighted to be working in partnership with Microsoft, MSN and Childnet International to help protect children on the Internet. This campaign will help empower young people with the necessary skills to stay safe online and, as a consequence, make it as difficult as possible for those people who use the Internet to commit child abuse.”

Maria Eagle, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Children and Families said: “The campaign will engage with children and young people in an exciting way so that they know and understand what they are doing when they are online. If they understand the risks, they can stay safe. The government believes in the educational power of the Internet but it must be used effectively and safely. My message to children and young people is that the internet safety is something to think about every time you log on. So remember how to stay safe and then you can use the internet with all the benefits it can bring whether for your education or leisure."

The programme supports the UK’s first National Internet Security Awareness campaign: Get Safe Online. This is a Cabinet Office led joint initiative between the government and the private sector, centred around a new website (www.GetSafeOnline.org) which provide comprehensive advice on online safety and security issues.

For further information about ‘Getting to Know IT All’ please visit: www.msn.co.uk/youngpeoplesafeonline

-ends-

Notes to editors

For further information about this press release, please contact:
Yvonne Beirne, tel 0207 344 1581, email Yvonne.beirne@edelman.com
Laura Misselbrook, tel 0207 344 1285, email Laura.misselbrook@edelman.com

* ‘UK Children Go Online’, by Sonia Livingstone and Magdalena Bober on behalf of ESRC (Economic & Social Research Council) and e-Society, April 2005

About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq "MSFT") is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realise their full potential.

About Childnet International
Childnet International is a registered charity, (no 1080173) set up in 1995 - with the mission to work in partnership with others around the world to help make the internet a great and safe place for children. The organisation seeks to take a balanced view of the issues of children and the Internet and is active in seeking to promote the positive ways in which the Internet can be used by children for social benefit. For example see www.childnetacademy.org . Childnet is also involved in responding to the negative aspects of children’s use of new media and has been involved in developing award-winning education and awareness programmes such as its www.kidsmart.org.uk for schools. For full information about the charity see www.childnet.com

National Crime Squad
The National Crime Squad targets the top tier of criminality to secure maximum disruption to organised crime enterprises in the UK and abroad. Our key areas are Class A drug trafficking, organised immigration crime, and hi-tech crime. Working in partnership with police forces and other agencies in the UK and abroad, our pro-active investigations aim to reduce social harm in the UK. Since 1998, we have seized drugs with a total street value of around £1bn, disrupted over 1,500 criminal networks, arrested over 5000 offenders, and identified over £139 million of convicted criminals'

About Virtual Global Task Force
The Virtual Global Taskforce was created in 2003 as a direct response to lessons learned from investigations into on-line child abuse around the world. It is an international alliance of law enforcement and industry which has come together to empower and protect children online. Law enforcement agencies include the National Crime Squad for England and Wales, the Australian High Tech Crime Centre, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the US Department of Homeland Security and Interpol. Industry partners include Microsoft, MSN, BT, AOL, Vodafone and LYCOS.

www.virtualglobaltaskforce.com provides advice, information and support for children and adults. This includes information on how to report suspicious activity online direct to law enforcement. In the UK, such reports come to the National Crime Squad.

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