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EDUCATION STUDENT VIEW
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Playing safe with the net
Young people need to understand how to stay safe online. Poppy MacDonald, a 16-year-old student, explains how a talk on internet safety changed her perspective
T
here were two words that echoed through my mind as the internet safety talk at Malvern College came to an end: report abuse. On entering the room prior to the talk, we all thought, ‘It won’t happen to me,’ but the presentation demonstrated how
the dangers associated with the internet are ever-present in our daily lives. The Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP)
internet safety talk is given annually to everyone at my school. The CEOP website, Think U Know, is designed to make teenagers and younger children aware of the dangers of the internet. The site gives advice on how to stay in control and how to report abuse online. Videos and examples bring the threats to life but at the same time provide reassurance that there are people available to help when problems arise. I would defi nitely use the website’s ‘report abuse’ link if I got into trouble. I am 16, in my GCSE year at school and I use the internet daily
for research, work and to email friends. My laptop is connected to the school network which has fi lters in place to prevent anybody from entering any unsecure sites. However, my friends and I are familiar with the distracting qualities of sites such as Facebook. Social networking sites are great for sharing photos and keeping up to date with friends, but unless you are aware of the risks, they can pose real threats. So- called ‘Facebook rape’ – when people log onto your account and change aspects of your profi le – is usually done for fun but is sometimes motivated by spite. Although it is not as serious as some scenarios that we have been warned about, it is still an invasion of privacy and demonstrates the dangers of information such as a password falling into the wrong hands. Hate mail and offensive comments
can be submitted (often anonymously) by bullies, who have an almost infi nite source of victims on the internet. Websites promoting eating disorders (known as ‘pro-ana’ and ‘pro-mia’ sites) are an example of the more negative side of the expansion of the internet. Parents sometimes worry about
the internet because they do not always understand some of the social aspects of it which young
WWW.FIRSTELEVENMAGAZINE.CO.UK
people use on a daily basis. Negative reports in the media magnify this unknown danger. Parents need to know what their children are doing on the internet and check that they know how to be safe online. Some of my friends’ parents have their own Facebook accounts, not just for social networking but because they want to keep an eye on what their children are posting on the internet. However, looking through your daughter’s images online or watching over your son’s shoulder whilst he surfs the net is not going to solve a problem created by exploitation of the internet. Sometimes a word of caution can be very effective. My father – who
served in the police for several years – is streetwise, and like any other parent, anxious that I know how to stay safe online. His recent words to me, ‘Once something is put online, it’s on there forever,” really made me stop and think. It is also indisputable that the internet is a brilliant invention. It has
“Once something is put
certainly revolutionised my life through communication, education and entertainment. I can stay in contact with friends I knew when I lived in Zimbabwe, shop online, look for work experience, do research and even download Gossip Girl. I no longer have to trek to the library
online, it’s on there forever – that really made me stop and think”
if I want to fi nd out who discovered DNA or need a quote from a William Blake poem. With the click of a mouse, my questions can be answered. Last year, my school was struck by swine fl u and everyone was sent home, mid-term. The only way we were able to stay on
top of our schoolwork was by email communication with our teachers who emailed us work which we completed and sent back, using the internet to fi ll in the information gaps. Wherever my life leads me, the internet is my ally and I am glad to be able to take advantage of the many services offered by such a brilliant invention. %
Find out more
T e T ink U Know website is the online safety information site produced by the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP).
www.thinkuknow.co.uk
SUMMER 2009 FIRST ELEVEN 23
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