Finding a safety 'net' for our kids on Safer Internet Day
The EU-wide initiative promotes responsible use of online and mobile technology, especially among children and young people.
Nek Nomination, which involves young people daring each other to ‘neck’ alcohol in a dangerous manner, reportedly began in Australia and proliferated through social media platforms. It exposed the deadly combination of online peer pressure and viral social media.
To mark Safer Internet Day, Trend Micro, the Cork cloud security organisation, is launching its third, annual ‘What’s Your Story’ competition. This gives a voice to young people to promote the positive use of the internet and digital media through a mini-movie or video.
Trend Micro’s Irish “What’s Your Story?” competition launches on Feb 11th Safer Internet Day! #WYS #SID2014 http://t.co/trdPRTaHDV
— Avril Ronan (@avril_ronan) February 5, 2014
“We received hundreds of entries last year from schools all over the country,” said Avril Ronan, programme coordinator for Trend Micro’s Internet Safety for Kids and Families.
“Students created their own videos about online safety, which they shared virally, thereby promoting amongst their peers how to be safe online. Empowering children, and young people, to express what they feel about social media, via social media, underpins the Trend Micro approach to online safety.”
Trend Micro’s research shows 75% of children have accidentally clicked on links to adult websites, downloading viruses to their computers.
“One in 10 report being upset by something they’ve seen online, and, very concerning, admit to being friends with people on Facebook who they don’t know in real life,” she said. The Trend Micro programme has trained hundreds of Irish parents and teachers, and initiated a peer-to-peer programme for transition year students to train other students. The programme is being adopted in the UK and Canada.
Teenager Rachel Brennan, played by actress Niamh Quirke in Fair City, is being cyber-bullied in a dramatic storyline highlighting online abuse. “Like all forms of bullying, cyber-bullying causes psychological, emotional and physical stress, creating real issues for children at school and at home,” says Ms Ronan. “Cyber-bullying is particularly dangerous as, like our technology, it is always on 24/7, meaning that there is no respite for victims of online bullying.”
A cyber-bullying forum hosted by MEP Sean Kelly, last Friday in Dublin, raised awareness of cyber-bullying in all its forms — via smartphones, SMS, photo-sharing apps, and anonymous sources taunting children on social media and emails.
Seán Kelly MEP Bray Cyber-Bullying Forum Photos http://t.co/2mRQ8061zh w/ @SimonHarrisTD @ADoyleTD @DillonLiz @CllrSarahWray @MickGlynn
— Seán Kelly MEP (@SeanKellyMEP) February 10, 2014
“Cyber-bullying, or bullying by social media, mobile or online, is a problem of epidemic proportions, affecting mostly young people,” said Mr Kelly. “The common problem is that parents often don’t understand issues, such as how photo-sharing apps or social media work, and often feel threatened by new digital technology,” he said.
More than 1,700 young Europeans are at risk of death by suicide this year, due to bullying and cyber-bullying, according to research by the charity, Beat Bullying UK. “One in four children in Ireland now admits to ‘sexting’ — sending or receiving inappropriate texts or photographs through social media.”
Adopting a tougher legal approach may be part of the solution, says Limerick TD, Patrick O’Donovan. New legislation being fast-tracked through the New Zealand parliament would result in cyber bullies, who use “a communications device to cause harm,” facing up to three months in jail.
“This isn’t just an Irish problem, it’s an international one, and I think the new law being adopted in New Zealand should be given serious consideration here,” he said. Also included in the proposed new laws will be the offence of ‘inciting someone to take their own life.’
The Government’s special rapporteur on child protection, Dr Geoffrey Shannon, last year highlighted the fact that there have been few convictions for the use of technology to harass, bully, or intimidate people — despite perpetrators having bombarded victims with hundreds of emails and SMS messages.
“The internet safety training really opened their eyes,” says Siobhan Fitzgerald, of Colaiste na Toibhirte in Bandon.
“Students live with social media and only see the fun and good side, but they became aware of the hurt that could be caused online too, and some of the horrors. They have much more respect for social media now. That’s what has changed.”
The Bandon transition year students’ video, Hiding Online, won the Trend Micro ‘What's your story’ competition. They have just completed another peer to peer video for social media called ‘Sticks and Stones’ which they hope will highlight awareness about cyber bullying.
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