Report to the People
12th April 2004
Keep Safe Over Easter
Happy
Easter!
I
think congratulations are in order. If
you’re reading this, then you’ve made it to the last day of the Easter
weekend without losing your sight, a hand or your reading glasses in some tragic
DIY calamity.
Traditionally
the most popular weekend of the year for home improvement, it’s also the most
popular for hardware related accidents – as these helpful adverts featuring
the dangers of cutting live electrical cables with scissors and drilling through
gas pipes remind us.
But
not all dangers in the home at this time of year are as obvious.
If
you’re a parent of school aged children, they will now have been on holiday
for over a week and, as lovely as it is to have some quality time over a long
weekend, you probably won’t be too upset if they’ve decided to go and play
their computer, giving you 10 minutes peace to read your paper.
And,
you reflect, where better for them? They’re
out from under your feet, but not out roaming the streets.
However,
as the jailing of 32-year-old Toby Studabaker for abducting and having sex with a 12-year-old girl he met and groomed
online shows, the fact that your children are playing indoors does not
necessarily mean they’re out of danger.
From
the motor car to the mobile phone, criminals are always going to take advantage
of new inventions for their own sinister ends.
And, just as the emergence of ram-raiding didn’t mean we banned cars,
the abuse of the internet by paedophiles doesn’t mean that the rest of us
should have our use of this wonderful technology curtailed.
In any case, what makes the internet such a great tool – its
truly global nature – is the very thing which makes tight regulation nigh
impossible.
Thankfully,
though, we don’t need to take draconian steps to keep our kids safe online.
As the 2004 “Think U Know” campaign makes clear, a little
common-sense goes a long way. The campaign offers practical tips, including how to set up
filtering systems on a PC; what to do if your child is sent unsuitable e-mail;
and how to talk to your children about their internet use.
When
it only takes a few straightforward steps to beat the online paedophiles, there
is no need to deny our kids access to the internet – especially as, when they
enter the job market, the ability to use it will be as important as a driving
licence.
If want to know more about keeping your
children safe online, log on to: www.thinkyouknow.co.uk
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