Moves for a safer Internet for kids and guidance for adults
The findings of a survey on the role of Greek parents regarding protecting children from illegal and harmful material on the Internet have caused great concern. According to the latest data presented yesterday at the third Regional Electronic Security Forum, taking place in Thessaloniki, three in four parents never sit together with their children while they are surfing the Internet. The data were presented by National Safer Internet Advisory Board reporter Ioannis Bogdis. While only one in eight parents believes their kids have encountered harmful material on the Web, only one in 10 uses filters to block certain sites. Even worse, only one in 12 parents sets rules on the use of the Internet at home. The answer to a safer Internet, according to Bogdis, lies with both education and prevention as ways to promote the positive aspects and the benefits of new technologies. The alertness and awareness campaign for a safer Internet (www.saferinternet.gr) is being implemented under the auspices of the European Commission and in cooperation with another 25 national portals. In a similar development, surveys in Greece carried out by the Hellenic Consumer Organization (EKATO) showed that all participating children admitted they have visited at least once sites with pornographic material or games of chance, urged by friends and peers. According to Tania Kyriakidis, EKATO president, 82 percent of these children were influenced by Internet advertising. She added that as much as 95 percent of the children said they prefer to log on to the Internet and various chatrooms when their parents are not home. Guide for parents In the meantime, mobile telephony provider Vodafone has published a booklet, distributed for free, titled Mobile Telephony Guide for Parents, aimed at bridging the gap that separates technology-savvy children and adolescents from the older generations. This handy guide is addressed to people of all ages, providing information on the possibilities offered by mobile telephony. In addition, the guide offers parents practical advice on preventing and reporting such cases, while it also provides ways to deactivate specific services geared toward adults.
