Apart from being one of the coldest months of the year, February also hosts Safer Internet Day.
That’s an awareness day run in Canada by the Canadian Center for Child Protection, a group devoted to promoting safer and more responsible use of online technology and mobile phones.
Noni Classen is the Director of Education at the CCCP and she says they recognize technology is a daily part of children’s lives.
“So the consideration is about making sure they understand the public nature of it, the ease of which you can lose control of something that you’re sharing and how that could go beyond your intended audience,” says Classen.
She says sometimes as youth get older they can seek out fun and exciting interactions on the internet as a form of sexual experimentation.
They need to be really careful of the pictures that they’re sharing and how those can be misused,” says Classen. “As well as, if somebody is threatening them in any capacity, or using extortion in any capacity, that it’s really important that they do not comply.”
Classen says with both government and private sector support, they released approximately one million Internet safety resources to Canadian schools free of charge.
She says if kids do get into trouble, and are uncomfortable talking to their parents or guardians, there are online options.
“We’ve created a website called “Need Help Now” where kids can come in and it really step by step walks them through what to do if they’ve lost control of pictures or some content that is causing them to stress on the Internet,” says Classen.
The resources focus on starting a conversation with youth about how important it is to use online technology safely to maximize its benefits while reducing the potential risks.
