Government Minister welcomes new multi-lingual CD-ROM giving parents advice on internet safety. Childnet International, the children’s internet charity, announced today the launch of its latest Know IT All multimedia CD-ROM aimed at helping parents better support their children’s positive and safe use of the internet. Commissioned by the Department for Education and Skills,
Know IT All for Parents is being made available to all maintained schools in England to order in quantity for parents free of charge.
The multimedia CD-ROM encourages parents to talk to their children about the internet, and in order to support the whole community, a summary of the advice has been translated into Arabic, Bengali, Gujarati, Polish, Mandarin, Punjabi, Urdu and British Sign Language.
Know IT All for Parents also includes material produced by young people themselves, and an Activity Centre with quizzes and games that parents and children can do together.
Parmjit Dhanda, MP, Minister for Children, Young People and Families, welcomed the launch of Know IT All for Parents by saying,
“I am delighted with this new resource. We should never take for granted that our children know it all about computers and the internet. This new resource provides a lot of information and advice for parents and I’m pleased that the main overview section is translated into seven other languages and into British Sign Language. I am also pleased that it includes sections for young people themselves: having young people talking to their peers about the benefits and issues associated with the internet is very powerful. Childnet should be proud of this resource – the challenge now is to get into family homes and get parents and young people using it.”
The information is presented by themes which relate to family life; for example shopping, downloading, chatting and finding things out. As more and more children go onto the internet through their mobile phones, there is also a separate section covering safe mobile use.
Seventeen year old Sarah, one of the Childnet team who presents advice on the CD-ROM says,
“It is true that kids know more about the internet than their parents. By bringing parents and teachers up to speed with the technology, kids will have somewhere to turn if things get uncomfortable and out of control.”
Childnet is keen to work with a range of other organisations to ensure that all parents can get a copy of Know IT ALL and are delighted to announce that PC WORLD are the first company to commit to making the CD-ROM available to its customers free of charge. Keith Jones MD of PC World says,
“PC World Stores Group and PC World Education are delighted to work with Childnet to help promote and distribute this valuable resource for parents, and we will make this information freely available to our customers in our stores. We understand technology and we want to help educate parents on the safest way for children to maximise their internet experiences.”
In producing the interactive CD-ROM Childnet consulted with a wide range of parents who said that what often stops them from getting involved with their children on the internet was both their lack of computer experience, as well as not understanding enough about the benefits that the internet could bring them. The CD-ROM therefore contains a New to Computers section and a whole section about the positive ways in which the internet can help with everyday life including their child’s education.
Stephen Carrick-Davies, CEO of Childnet said:
“This environment is changing so rapidly and it’s crucial that parents have up-to-date information about the latest ways in which children are using the internet and their mobile phone, not just so they can truly appreciate the way the technology can benefit their children’s education, but also so they can understand the risks. We are delighted that schools can order this resource free of charge for their parents and hope it will help strengthen home-school links.”
David Wright, Services Manager of South West Grid for Learning which has been active in promoting the Know IT All resource to schools says:
“This CD-ROM does what it says on the cover – it helps Parents really “Know IT All”. We have distributed it to schools in our area and have had excellent feedback. I would strongly recommend that schools take up the free offer to order bulk quantities for their parents so they can be better equipped and supported in their use of ICT with children. It is an ideal resource for schools to include when sending Acceptable Usage policies home for parents to sign”
The CD-Rom has also been designed to be as accessible as possible and Childnet has made the entire content of the resource available online at www.childnet-int.org/kia. Although the material includes video, there is a full text-only version for viewers for people who use a text reader.
David Banes from Ability Net says about this resource,
“AbilityNet are delighted to support this new resource. We welcome the effort and determination that Childnet have displayed to make this important advice accessible to all children regardless of any disability. We hope that other developers will look carefully at the resource and learn from the design – If the message is important, it’s important to every child, and Childnet and AbilityNet are committed to information for all”
The CD -ROM links to organisations where parents can report their concerns. These include The Internet Watch Foundation, Stop IT Now! and The Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP). Alex Nagle, Head of Harm Reduction at CEOP says:
“We know that parents want advice and guidance on how to help their children use the internet safely and securely. That is why we welcome Childnet’s Know IT All for Parents resource. We believe that this is a superb resource and one that CEOP is keen to support. I hope that this reaches as many parents as possible.”
Childnet is keen to work with other organisations and funders both in this country and overseas so that this resource can be even more widely distributed for parents. See www.childnet-int.org/kia
Notes to editors & contact info:
To see the ‘Know IT All for Parents’ content see www.childnet-int.org/kia
For further information about Know IT All for Parents, contact
Stephen Carrick-Davies (Childnet’s CEO) Tel 0207 639 6967 or mobile 0771 2451 859 or email
To interview Sarah and the other young people involved in producing the resource please contact
To request a complimentary review copy please
contact Tamara Batt at Childnet 020 7639 6967 or email
To discuss PC WORLD’S involvement contact Rob Forbes
Maintained schools in England can order bulk quantities of this resource free of charge from DfES Publications on 0845 60 222 60 quoting reference 00308-2007CD0- EN
About Childnet International:
Childnet International is a registered charity, (no. 1080173) set up in 1995 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 organisation seeks to take a balanced view of the issues of children and the internet and is active in promoting the positive ways in which the internet can be used by children and includes children in the design of its education and awareness work – for example see www.childnet-int.org/sorted. Childnet is also involved in responding to the negative aspects of children’s use of new media and has produced award-winning education and awareness programmes such as its www.kidsmart.org.uk for schools. For full information about the charity see www.childnet-int.org.
About the DfES:
The Department for Education and Skills was established with the purpose of creating opportunity, releasing potential and achieving excellence for all. See www.dfes.gov.uk. See the DfES Every Parent Matters at www.teachernet.gov.uk/everyparentmatters
