Safer Internet Day 2013 Preaches Online Rights and Responsibilities

Today is officially the 10th annual Safer Internet Day, which works to help educate web surfers and children from around the world about the dangers of internet use and how to stay safe online. This year’s theme is “online rights and responsibilities” and encouraging web users to “connect with respect“.

As usual many “exciting activities and events” are planned across the world to celebrate the day and those taking place in the United Kingdom are being coordinated by the Safer Internet Centre (more here). Last year 99 countries came together for the event.

Apparently one of today’s highlights will be the young people’s charter of 10 top online rights and responsibilities. The team asked 24,000 young people in the UK to choose their top online rights and responsibilities for Safer Internet Day and the results will be revealed as a “Statement of Rights” to a “high profile politician” in a “high profile place” later today. Cryptic. If you can’t wait then we’ve linked the charter below.

Primary School Charter – online rights and responsibilities
http://www.saferinternet.org.uk/…/2013/Primary_school_charter.jpg

Secondary School Charter – online rights and responsibilities
http://www.saferinternet.org.uk/…/2013/Secondary_school_charter.jpg

A related report from the UK Council for Child Internet Safety (UKCCIS), which asked children what online content they found most upsetting, is expected to reveal that most under-11’s use the internet to play video games, do school work (this may not always be a good thing) and chat with friends. The same children were apparently most upset by violence (e.g. content that shows harm being done to animals) and cyber bulling but less so by pornographic content.

The UK government is currently mulling over how best to force ISPs into offering customers Parental Control solutions that could result in the mass “internet filtering” (censorship) of any websites that are deemed to contain even remotely mature content (e.g. not just porn but also the BBC.com, newspapers, online shopping sites etc.). Sadly confusion still surrounds precisely what the government would like to see adopted.

At this rate the only way to keep children “safe” from an “adult” world would be to bind and gag them indoors until they reach 18. Only then could they be safely released and deemed mentally fit enough to comprehend underwear posters in clothes stores, the local pub, Eastenders (BBC1), newspapers like the Daily Mail and other such adult content. /end sarcasm.