Safer Internet Day takes place on 9th February 2016.  This year the UK Safer Internet Centre are asking us all to ‘play your part for a better internet’ and raise awareness of safe, positive and responsible use of digital connective technology by children and young people.  It’s an increasingly important issue for parents, and an area where young people and children need support and guidance like never before. Getting on the internet has become so much easier now and there’s nothing wrong with that. You could easily get the broadband deal from someone like Usave and that will help you get quicker internet, that can suit all your needs. It’s just important to be aware of being safe. That’s the important part.

safer internet day 2016

Nearly 900 organisations across the UK, including Intel Security, are supporting Safer Internet Day and it’s really easy for us parents to get involved too.  You can start talking about Safer Internet Day on social media by using the hashtag #SID2016.  More importantly talk to your children about their experiences online and what a safer internet looks like for them.

What Does A Safer Internet Look Like?

I was asked if my children would share what they thought a safer internet would look like.  Now, they are only young so there is a lot of artistic interpretation in their pictures but this is what they came up with after a afternoon creative session.

Little Pudding decided a painting would be the best way to express her vision of a safer internet.  She went for a strong blue colour which I now know is associated with trust, stability, wisdom, intelligence and truth.  Her picture may look simple at first, but there is clearly a message about the internet here, I promise! She’s a very clever toddler.

childs artwork

Princess shared a foam picture on a green background.  Her interpretation seems to show the building blocks of knowledge, and the green background is a strong visualisation of a safe place to explore.

artwork by child

OK, they are just pictures, but perhaps what is more interesting isn’t what they contain, but what they don’t contain.  There are no nasty monsters or sad people in their artwork.  They are cheery, colourful pictures.  The internet for them is a safe place where they enjoy learning about the world around them or watching their favourite TV shows.  They have no concept about the dangers they may come across, or the online hatred they may experience when they get older.

I want the internet to be a safe place for them to explore and be inspired.  I can help that happen by talking to them about how to use digital technology responsibly.  There are also technologies available to help support parents like Truekey that allows you to sign in to your devices without passwords, using face recognition and fingerprints instead.  McAfee LiveSafe also helps to keep your computers and devices secure online providing you and your family with safer internet usage.


Previous articleEssential Tips For Decorating A Boys Bedroom
Next articleTeen Takes The 2 Week UFIT Challenge

23 COMMENTS

  1. I’d never heard of Safer Internet Day, of course I don’t have children and probably had never given it much thought though I did monitor what my nieces were looking up on their iPad whenever they were under my care. I think it is crucial to have a safer internet where not only children but adults too can navigate without having to worry that something unseemly is going to pop up in your search. Great post, Zena though for some reason your photos, which I am sure were probably lovely, did not want to load for me.

  2. This is something that does concern me. My 12 year old son was given a phone by my ex (his mother) and I was surprised to find he had an instagram account. Some of the stuff on his timeline shocked me due to it’s language.

    Anything that gives me extra control over internet access is good news!

  3. oh I love this post thank you its scary and I have 6 children and 3 are very active on the internet as they are 12,13 and 17 and 2 have Facebook 1 has Twitter and 2 have Instagram and it seems all their friends have too thankfully I do drill it into them all the time the importance of keeping themselves safe and if they started talking to anyone I didnt know or they didnt then they would banned

  4. I always monitor Sylvia as I want her to have a safe internet experience. I love that your promoting a safer internet use and a day out. I love going out on adventures and find this beats the internet any day. Angela

  5. limited, supervised access to the internet
    We also regularly talk about access is limited & supervised & the need to keep them safe

  6. Its quite difficult monitoring your children doing something that wasn’t around when we weren’t little. Its a big learning curve for all of us. Worries me that my children are signing up for things like snapchat which I’ve never used.

  7. I love your point about how your kids view of the internet is a fun place for learning and entertainment. If we protect our kids online they can enjoy all it has to offer in a rich and exciting way. I think it’s best to take steps to keep them safe rather than ignore the dangers and just keep them off the internet – not realistic

  8. I think this great. I’ve never even heard of Internet safety day but now days I think it’s very important!

  9. My kids being 8 and 10 so have lots of input at school about safety on the internet, but I still have to watch them constantly when they are online as they have an irresistible draw to sites like YouTube. My son also comes home and proudly informs me about how he and his friends got around the filters at school again. It is a worry, and once something is ‘seen’ it cant be ‘unseen’ again, so it’s great that people are investing time into developing these tools.

  10. The pictures are adorable and I agree, they do represent a safe place. I’ve not heard of this campaign, it such a good idea to raise awareness of all the dangers on the net!

  11. With three teens, the internet is a constant worry to me – as great as it can be, it can also be a pretty horrendous place. Great post – and brilliant give away too. Kaz x

  12. This is a great post- I never knew safer Internet day existed. It’s something I worry about as my daughter gets older, and an issue that needs addressing.

  13. Really interesting post and it’s such an important topic. I’m pretty clued in about the internet but I know that a lot of parents aren’t and it’s so important to get that message out there. I really like the pictures your kids did, it’s so true that it should be a cheery place free of nasty things.

  14. It’s always good to be clued up and raise awareness for ‘safer internet day’, it’s something I have been involved in for years, previously even attending the House of Commons to represent Trend Micro. It’s something very close to my heart as I am very pro-internet for all ages, but obviously under safe supervision. Love the pictures BTW!

  15. Safer internet day is a great idea, it’s amazing what a great resource we have available to us in the internet but it’s too easy to forget the hurt that it can cause too when abused. We really need to make sure our children are safe when on line.

Comments are closed.