Children as young as 8 years old are for the first time the focus of an online safety programme being launched by the UK police organisation dedicated to tackling child sex abuse - the Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre.
The programme - developed and launched with BECTA - focuses on a state of the art CYBERCAFE where children between the ages of 8-11 years will meet Gryff and his friends while learning about different aspects of online safety at their own pace. Through a series of games, the children can help the characters use the internet to complete their homework, send emails and text messages, post online forums and a host of other activities safely. There is also a glossary for children to use should they need help in understanding online "language".
And behind the whole programme - thinkuknow.co.uk/cybercafe - there is one overarching message. Have fun, know what to do and go to a trusted adult to seek help if you need it or feel threatened in any way.
It is intended that the programme can be delivered either as a stand-alone online service for children and parents at home, or through teachers in schools who can download lesson plans and other resources - all of which have been designed by teachers for teachers and are free.
All materials have been designed and road tested by children to ensure it engages this most discerning of audiences.
Parents can also find help by visiting thinkuknow.co.uk/parents where simple to follow programmes have been designed to gently guide visitors through the technology. It explains all the different ways in which children are using the internet, as well as giving practical advice on how to protect them and provides useful first-warning signs in how the behaviour of young people may change if they are being targeted by offenders.
Topic: CEOP Childrens online safety program (Read 2037 times)