Davitt College

Child Net Safety Website Launched in Davitt College

Mark Jordan, ICT Coordinator in Davitt College, has set up a website, www.childnetsafe.com to provide guidance and strategies for parents and their children to avoid internet dangers.
The website identifies ways of minimising the risks of using social networking sites like Bebo & Facebook, instant messaging (MSN) and online gaming. It gives advice on how to avoid the threat to computers from viruses and spyware. It details how the home PC or laptop can be configured to ensure that children cannot access inappropriate material while online. Davitt College, uses a sophisticated filtering system to ensure that students cannot access inappropriate material while on the internet at school. Students using computers or other digital equipment at home will very likely not have the same protection. Parents are often intimidated because they believe their children's grasp of new technologies surpasses theirs. While this may be true it should not lead to the assumption that children have the maturity or experience to cope with problems they may encounter while online.
According to CSO statistics 70% of all households in 2008 had a home computer while internet connections rose between 2005 and 2008 from 45% to 62%. There were 5.4 million mobile phone subscribers last year and over 1.5 million bought goods online.
Living in the Internet age offers a virtual world that is exciting and challenging but with such fast evolving communications devices parents must be aware of the risks as well as the benefits this technology has to offer. It is here to stay and our future depends on it.

First year parents recently attended a net safety presentation in Davitt College where the website was formally launched.
New material will continue to be added to the site.