History

As the Internet began to gain widespread use in the mid 1990s, it became clear that it had tremendous potential as an educational and entertainment medium for children around the world. At the same time a number of governments and law enforcement agencies in certain countries were beginning to respond to the new dangers of children being hurt through this new interactive media. However, only limited co-ordination was taking place internationally between the different sectors (industry, regulators, law enforcement, education etc) and there was little being done to support both children and parents as to how to stay safe and get the most out of the medium. It was clear that challenges would begin to emerge for schools, families and children who were accessing the net, and issues about how best they could produce and publish their own material.

In response to some of these challenges, Nigel Williams established Childnet International in 1996. At the time he was acutely aware of the impact that the new technology was having on his own four teenage children and of the wider policy issues as Head of Public Policy in a family research and education charity. Prior to establishing Childnet, Nigel spent a year examining what other initiatives were happening to promote fun and safe Internet use for children and concluded that no other agency was focussed on addressing this issue from an international perspective.

An experienced civil servant who had also set up his own computer training company, Nigel had considerable experience in looking at issues of regulation, project management, policy and training. As a committed Christian growing up in N.Ireland, Nigel had been significantly involved in the ecumenical movement in seeking to bring together the different religious and cultural groupings. He started Childnet with a Christian ethos of wanting to serve and support others, and believed the organisation should be charitable and not commercial, existing as a catalyst to promote interaction between the different sectors, both serving and challenging others to ensure that the Internet became a safe and great place for children.

It was clear at this time that as well as the international co-operation on child protection issues, significant effort was also needed to showcase the positive, transforming ways in which the new technologies could help young people. Furthermore it was going to be increasingly important to promote access to quality content produced for and by children themselves. Whilst a great deal of commercial attention was focussed on the ways the Internet could help companies “reach” customers, Nigel believed that Childnet should focus on the need to use the Internet to help break down barriers so that those with limited access to education, exchange, and entertainment were able to use the Internet to empower themselves.

The vision was ambitious - a charity committed to working with all sectors (wherever they were) both in policy and in the development of projects, and showcasing how children can really benefit from the new media. The ultimate challenge was to try and ensure that the negative aspect of the new global medium did not outweigh the potential for positive good and lasting benefit.

In July 2003, Nigel Williams was appointed as first Commissioner for Children and Young People in N.Ireland and Stephen Carrick-Davies Childnet’s deputy CEO since 1998 was appointed by the Childnet Trustees to take over as Chief Executive.