| Childnet International and Tiny Announce the Launch of KidSmart 10 January 2002 |
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Childnet International (www.childnet-int.org), a leading children’s Internet charity, and Tiny (www.tiny.com), the UK’s largest PC manufacturer, have combined their resources to launch KidSmart (www.kidsmart.org.uk), a new initiative to improve child safety on the Internet launching at BETT this year. KidSmart will teach 8-11 year old children, their parents and teachers about the potential benefits and dangers of the Internet and will be run through primary schools from January 2002.
The KidSmart ethos is centred around the SMART rules* - five key reminders for children to ensure that their experiences on the Internet are enjoyable and safe.
Therefore, KidSmart will run in three separate programmes:
Schools Activity Day for children - to include a 30-minute drama and role play
workshops run by a touring drama group
Educating and informing parents at evening seminars in schools
Providing lesson plans and work sheets for teachers to run safety sessions before
and after the activity day
Beverley Hughes, Chair of the Government's Task Force on Child Protection on the Internet, says: "The Internet can be educational, informative, and most of all, fun for younger users - but it is not immune from criminal abuse and can bring its own dangers. Parents, carers and children themselves all have a role to play in surfing safely, and the KidSmart programme will help protect younger users as they explore this fascinating new world. I wish them every success with KidSmart."
KidSmart is supported by its website, www.kidsmart.org.uk, an essential information resource for parents, children and teachers on all aspects of Internet safety providing extensive lists of fun and inspirational sites for children to visit, downloadable lessons plans and worksheets for teachers, advice on filtering software and a wealth of other features.
Nigel Williams, chief executive of Childnet, says "The KidSmart project complements the government’s Internet awareness campaign and extends the SMART rules* message to a younger primary school audience who are increasingly exploring the Internet independently."
Andrew Walwyn, managing director of Tiny, adds: "As the UK’s largest PC manufacturer, we take the issue of Internet safety seriously. We believe that KidSmart is an essential initiative in building awareness of the issues and providing practical advice to children, parents and teachers."
Childnet and Tiny have liaised with the government, major ISPs and a number of industry bodies throughout the development of KidSmart and the programme has been designed specifically to reinforce the Home Office initiative - ‘wiseuptothenet’.
The KidSmart workshop for children is being previewed in the Launchpad at BETT at 12.25pm on Thursday 10th January.
For further information, or an interview contact:
Nick Dudley-Williams, Hatch Group on (020) 7471 6834
Or Alison Boswell / Oenone Hobbs at the Tiny Press Office on 01293 827302
E-mail: nick@hatch-group.com, alison.boswell@tiny.com or oenone.hobbs@tiny.com
For photography, visit: www.tiny.com and click on ‘press information’.
S Keep your personal details Safe. Never use your parents' credit card without
their permission, and never give away your name, address, or passwords - it's
like handing out the keys to your home!
M Never Meet someone you have contacted in Cyberspace without your parent's/carer's
permission, and then only when they can be present.
A Don't Accept e-mails, open attachments or download files from people or organisations
you don't really know or trust - they may contain viruses or nasty messages.
R Remember that someone online may not be who they say they are. If you feel
uncomfortable or worried in a Chat room simply get out of there!
T Tell your parent or carer if someone or something makes you feel uncomfortable
or worried.
Childnet International is a non-profit organisation established in 1995 with the mission to help make the Internet a great place for children. Childnet operates internationally from its base in London. Childnet is a member of the UK Government Home Office Task Force on Internet safety and has considerable experience of advising on Internet awareness programmes world-wide. More information can be found on the following web sites: www.childnet-int.org, www.chatdanger.com
Tiny Computers is the UK’s largest PC manufacturer, which supports both the home and professional markets. The company has been at the forefront of computer technology for 20 years, consistently bringing the latest quality branded components at the best prices to the public. Tiny’s PCs are sold through 143 retail showrooms nationwide, as well as directly and through its website, www.tiny.com. Last year (2000) the company sold over 400,000 PCs in the UK. In a company re-launch in March 2001, Tiny introduced a new range of digital entertainment products to its portfolio.
The Home Office "wiseuptothenet" campaign has a special booklet available from UK Online on 0800 77 1234, which will offer parents an A-Z of the Internet, straightforward advice and sources of help on how to encourage their children to use Internet Chat rooms without putting themselves at risk from paedophiles 'grooming' them for abuse. The booklet and further details will also be available from website www.wiseuptothenet.co.uk.