EE Trains Staff in 600 UK Retail Outlets to Offer Internet Safety Advice

Mobile operator EE has today announced that thousands of employees at 600 of their UK retail outlets are being given specialist mobile and online safety training, which will enable them to offer better advice on online safety options and filters to parents.

The training, which forms part of a partnership with online safety experts Internet Matters, has also been timed to mark the start of today’s annual world Safer Internet Day event. The extra training also includes a series of conversation starters, called “The New Talk,” which aims to help parents talk with their children about staying safe online.

The New Talk Conversation Starters Include:

* Ask your children to tell you about the apps they like to use and how they like to use their mobile devices.

* Ask them for advice on how they keep their photos and videos safe on their mobiles. What do they think is ok to share? What tips do they have?

* Ask them if they know where to go for help if they are worried about their safety online. Do they know how to access privacy settings or how to report or block on the services they use?

* Ask for their help in getting the most out of your mobile, what more could you be doing and what is safe to use?

* Ask your children how you can get more out of mobile devices as a family.

In an ideal world we’d expect good parents to already be doing things like this but that isn’t always the case. Lest we forget that a lot of the time children can even be ahead of their parents’ own knowledge of the subject.

Marc Allera, CEO of EE and BT’s Consumer Businesses, said:

“We understand that parenting in the digital world can be a daunting job and, while many parents do discuss online safety with their children regularly, many device purchases are made without thinking about having the necessary ‘talk’.

I am delighted that we’re training our customer service staff to support parents, like myself, to have ‘The New Talk’ on internet safety with their children – alongside support and advice on important issues such as online behaviour, safety and security.”

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