Internet safety is becoming an increasingly important issue in this day and age. With the rise in the popularity of the Internet, governments and organisations in positions of authority need to do all they can to promote awareness of the risks as well as the responsibilities of surfing online and interacting with others across cyberspace.
Social networking has never been so popular, so a number of secondary schools in Nottinghamshire have to be commended for their decision to deliver lessons on the subject, by allowing pupils to take part in a competition suggesting ways to ensure the Internet is a safe place for young people to be.
Delivered in the style of popular TV show ‘Dragon’s Den’, the six schools got to compete and be chosen by the panel of experts, including the Nottinghamshire Police head honcho, to win a prize of £1,000 for their school.
The brains behind the idea is the Ashfield Community Safety Partnership, who have coordinated the entire project. They hope to encourage pupils to think about and discuss crime as well as anti-social behaviour.
With cyber bullying and e-safety topical subjects at the moment, the theme will hopefully get young people talking about these central issues. The use of mobiles and the Internet is high on the agenda, especially as unsuitable people can interact with young people and influence them.
As well as these pertinent issues, exposure to inappropriate content is also up for discussion, plus the disproportionate amount of information requested by some websites.
The pupils at these schools will look for innovative ways of delivering these subjects and highlighting the problems faced by exposure to the Internet.
These types of schemes can only be applauded for increasing the awareness of staying safe online, with many other organisations putting systems in place to make the Web a safer place for those who are most vulnerable.
One of the most effective methods of using the Internet safely is by signing up to verification sites that offer additional levels of protection to their users. Whether chatting online with friends or purchasing products from auction sites, you are always best dealing with those that can be trusted, and sites that have put specific safeguards in place to ward against cyber criminals.
Anything that gets these unavoidable issues into the spotlight should be encouraged, so fewer people get taken in by the minority of users who would wish to spoil the online experience for everyone else.
