UK tells parents to get internet wise

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01/04/2008

Children's internet usage is coming under ever more intense scrutiny in the UK, with a number of reports published over the past few weeks. After conducting a survey on social networks, UK media watchdog, Ofcom warned parents that they need to find out how social networking works, in order to ensure their kids are using it safely. Ofcom found that more than a quarter of eight to 11 year olds in the UK have a profile on a social network - and many have left their profiles visible to anyone. A third of parents have set no clear rules for their children on social networking, and many are unsure how it works.

The Home Office is working with social networking firms to publish a set of guidelines for the sites around best practice, security and privacy. Ofcom's report followed the publication of the government-commissioned Byron Review, by child psychologist Dr Tanya Byron, which looks at the risks children face from exposure to the internet or video games, and a report from think tank the IPPR, which reported that British kids were being 'raised online'.

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