Industry News
Online safety site for children
Posted on 8th May 2008
A new website will warn children of the dangers on the internet, using cartoons.
The Thinkuknow site is split into sections for children aged five to seven, eight to ten and 11 to 16 and there are also sections for parents, carers, teachers and trainers.
Animated characters including Hector the dolphin and PC Jim will teach five to seven-year-olds how they can use the internet safely. Primary schools will also be introducing children to the site.
A similar system has proved successful in New Zealand which led to the idea being implemented in the UK.
The site also carries a Report Abuse function that allows children or adults to report anyone they feel uncomfortable or worried about chatting to.
Research by Ofcom found that children are becoming more and more tech savvy. Some 49 per cent of children aged eight to 13 have an online profile on a networking website, compared to just 22 per cent of over 16s.
Their preferred sites include Bebo, MySpace and Facebook and 59 per cent said they used their profiles to make new friends.