The safety of their children is one of the biggest concerns that hangs over the heads of many parents when their kids start to surf the net and venture into the virtual world that is the internet. Whilst we want our children to be able to access the bountiful opportunities that the World Wide Web holds, parents cannot help but worry about what and more importantly who, their children may stumble across online.
The education minister, Ed Balls, yesterday committed the government to fully implementing the recommendations of Dr Tanya Bryon's report on child internet safety. The government has promised to channel some funding (although the amount has not yet been established), into a comprehensive education campaign on online and gaming safety to "protect as well as empower children".
This move has come after negative reports were seen in the media, particularly in response to the increasing number of teenage suicides, blamed on by some, young people’s access to suicide sites. This has been addressed in the report by Bryon with recommendations that propose strengthening the law against assisting suicides amongst many other suggestions.
The news must come as comfort to many parents with concerns over internet safety. It is great to see that the government is taking steps to protect children so that they can be safe whilst still being able to learn, play and access the wonders of the internet.
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