Childnet’s “SORTED” website helps young people to protect themselves from viruses, phishing scams and spam problems.
Children’s internet charity, Childnet International, today announced the launch of its “SORTED” online guide – a major new resource produced entirely by young people for young people on the issues of internet security.
Housed on the Childnet website at www.childnet-int.org/sorted, this resource gives young people important information on how to protect themselves online from the dangers of viruses, phishing scams, spyware and trojans.
The site has been written and designed by 18-year-old Rob Wright, a member of Childnet’s youth “networkers” panel who spent 3 months talking with other young people about the problems they faced online. Working with the Childnet staff he then wrote and edited the content before designing the SORTED web pages entirely on his own.
Childnet seeks to put young people at the heart of its work and as well as giving Rob a platform to create a unique online resource, the SORTED website also includes a special “Showcase” section to demonstrate other Childnet winning websites produced by young people. Visitors can submit their own sites to be considered for inclusion in the “Have Your Say” section. The SORTED website also gives visitors an opportunity to ask specific questions related to information security that will be answered as the site is updated and expanded to cover new issues.
Stephen Carrick-Davies, CEO of Childnet says,
“Many young people tell us that they are increasingly encountering viruses and spyware, and are unsure of what to do about pop-ups, phishing scams and endless amounts of SPAM. We therefore wanted to produce a resource that was relevant to them, help them know what to do about the risks and give them practical advice to get “SORTED”! Who better to provide this information than a young person like Rob who has designed the site to be relevant, appealing and helpful to his peers?”
Rob says,
“All the information I found on information security online was either written in a very bland way, or was aimed too low and patronised young people. I wanted to change that with SORTED, and create a resource that could give visitors hints and tips in an attractive and engaging way and prevent the online experience from being ruined.”
The site was funded by a grant from BT’s Education programme. Dave Hancock from BT says,
“At BT we believe young people have the right to have their voices heard and the internet is an excellent way to do this. Keeping your computer – and yourself – safe is vitally important. We’re proud to support Childnet’s work and in particular the production of Sorted”.
Rob Wright was one of the winners of Childnet’s Academy programme – which over the last 8 years has funded and inspired hundreds of young people all over the world to create positive online resources that benefit other children. See www.childnetacademy.org.
For more information or to arrange an interview, please contact:
Stephen Carrick-Davies, Childnet International
T: +44 (0) 20 7639 6967
Rob Wright
T: +44 (0) 7743 391 444
Dave Hancock BT Education
T : + 44 (0) 121 230 7855
About Childnet International
Childnet International is a registered charity, 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 vision of the organisation is to ensure that all those involved in developing, producing, controlling, using and regulating international telecommunications (current and future), recognise and implement policies and programmes which prioritise the rights of children so that their interests are both promoted and protected. Childnet actively runs programmes that give children a voice on the net and educate them about the dangers and opportunities of using new communications technology.
For more information about Childnet International and its award winning projects go to www.childnet-int.org
About BT
The BT Education Programme is part of Better World, BT’s corporate responsibility division which puts investment back into the communities BT serves. The programme helps young people, their teachers and families develop a sound set of skills in spoken communication. The free resources provided by the programme (DVDs, online activities, workshops, lesson plans, teachers’ guides, classroom volunteers, awards schemes, etc.) are now being used in many thousands of schools.
Find out more about how BT helps young people communicate at
www.bt.com/education
