Press Release
26th January 2005
Hard hitting true story teaches young people to stay safe online
“Jenny’s Story” film supports young people in staying safe online.
STAY safe online! That is the message that has been heard loud and clear across Lancashire after 2,000 pupils took part in a pilot scheme aimed at providing young people with information to stay safe online.
The Rt Hon Paul Goggins MP, Home Office Minister and Chair of the Government’s Task Force on Child Protection on the Internet, will be launching this valuable resource tomorrow (Thurs 27 January 2005) at Barton Grange Hotel, Preston.
‘Jenny’s Story’ is a hard-hitting true story about , a young teenager who chats to a stranger using a Instant Messenger. The film shows how through chatting online, Jenny reveals personal information about herself which then resulted in her being contacted and ultimately hurt.
Working with the Police, Jenny wanted to tell her story in her own words so that other young people can see how easy it is to get out of their depth but also learn strategies to avoid being manipulated or feeling “trapped” online.
Jenny’s Story has been piloted in 12 secondary schools across Lancashire, with over 2,000 pupils seeing the film and completing pre and post viewing questionnaires. In total, 80% of the pupils who viewed the film felt that it had significantly affected them and challenged them to modifying their online behaviour.
The resource will be available to secondary schools to order on DVD or CDROM and is accompanied with a range of support resources to assist in its’ delivery including lesson plans and Q&A for teachers, advice leaflets for young people and parents, as well as practical advice on how to keep safe online.
The Police have worked in partnership with children’s Internet charity – Childnet International - in producing this resource. Stephen Carrick-Davies, CEO of Childnet says,
“For very many years, Childnet and other organisations have been producing Internet safety awareness campaigns aimed at young people but recent research has revealed that whilst the level of awareness of the dangers in the UK amongst young people is high, this awareness does not correlate with a change of behaviour with children still giving out personal information over the internet.
In our research it was young people themselves who told us that real stories from their peers would influence them more than any other awareness campaign. It is now time to strengthen education material so that it does more than simply raises awareness with children but challenges them in a style and format which they can relate to and which result in a change of behaviour. This is being borne out by those who have already used this resource in schools.”
Julia Hodson, ACC of the Lancashire Constabulary says, “The protection of children in this new online “world” is a real priority for the police and this resource will significantly help in crime prevention and education programmes. It is to be made available to all secondary schools in Lancashire and we hope other police forces will support and adopt this approach in partnership with the education authorities. We have enormously valued the partnership with Childnet in producing this film and believe it will make a major contribution to educating and supporting young people in using the Internet safely and positively not just in the UK but world-wide.”
The launch today in Lancashire involved young people who have been involved in the pilot scheme and gave feedback to the Police and Childnet team. One pupil involved in the pilot said, “It showed me that this could happen to anyone. I really feel that all young people using the Internet should see this film.”
Allison Wilkinson, Head of Citizenship at Rhyddings High School in Oswaldtwistle, said: “I had a very positive experience delivering this film and the resources to all my classes. The students liked the fact that it was a true story but it was handled sensitively and not frightening. It was particularly useful in helping us discuss what can and can’t be traced on the Internet.”
Speaking at the launch of the resource, The Rt Hon Paul Goggins MP, Home Office Minister and Chair of the Government’s Task Force on Child Protection on the Internet said: “I very much welcome Jenny’s Story film and the supporting materials which Lancashire Constabulary and Childnet International have produced for schools. This powerful film will help young people to see the potential dangers of talking to strangers over the Internet and it is particularly good that the accompanying resources help teachers practically to explore the safety issues and equip young people with the skills and strategies they need to be safe in this new online world. This resource will make a very valuable contribution to supporting the ever-growing number of children using the Internet in the UK stay safe. This partnership between Childnet and Lancashire Police is a great example of how different sectors can work together to create effective responses to the child safety issues posed by the Internet. “
For further information and interviews contact:
Liz Riddings: Lancashire Constabulary Press Office – 01254353655 mobile 07939 284118
Stephen Carrick-Davies: Childnet – 020 77639 6967 mobile 0771 245 1859
Notes to Editors:
- “Jenny” wishes to remain anonymous - and the part in the film is played by an actor.
- Media opportunities with Rt Hon Paul Goggins, representatives from Childnet and Lancashire Constabulary, a teacher and a pupil from one of the pilot schools will be available before and after the launch.
- Childnet has been an active member of the Government’s Home Office Task Force on Child Protection on the Internet since its inception in 2002.
- Copies of the resource will be available to secondary schools only and can be ordered from Childnet from mid February onwards – see www.childnet-int.org/jenny for instructions.
- An executive summary of the pilot project can be accessed at www.childnet-int.org/jenny/evaluation.html
- ChildLine supports the Jenny's Story resource by welcoming the inclusion of the ChildLine free phone telephone number for young people which is included on the film and support material.
In preparation for the launch of Jenny’s Story, Childnet has updated its Kidsmart website www.kidsmart.org.uk which allows schools to order the Jenny’s story film and Internet safety leaflets for pupils and parents.
Childnet has also updated its www.chatdanger.com resource which gives advice for young people on a range of online interactive services including Instant Messenger and Mobiles.
About Childnet International:
Childnet International is a registered charity, (no. 1080173) set up in 1996 - with the mission to work in partnership with others around the world to help make the internet a great and safe place for children. The vision of the organisation is to ensure that all those involved in developing, producing, controlling, using and regulating international telecommunications (current and future), recognize and implement policies and programmes which prioritize the rights of children so that their interests are both promoted and protected. For more information about Childnet International go to www.childnet-int.org.
