Internet Safety

Information is provided on a selection of sites covering safety issues and guidelines for parents of children and young people in using the Internet.

• Blogsafety, launched by Childnet International, provides information about blogging and social networking. On this website you will find useful information on how to get the most out of using blogs and learn about how to use the new social networking websites safely and positively. The site contains information for parents, educators, industry and of course children and young people.
• CyberSafe Schools is an Internet safety program designed to help teachers empower students on safe use of the Internet. Resources have been developed for: secondary schools - CyberNetrix; primary schools - CyberQuoll; and Teacher Professional Development.
• Cybersmart Guides for libraries aim to help library staff in promoting safe internet use in public libraries, especially for children. Other Guides in the same series are: Cybersmart Guide for Families and Cyber Rules Poster.
• Cybersmart Kids Online is a community education project developed by the Australian Broadcasting Authority. It aims to provide parents and children with information and tools to help them have a rewarding and safe experience of the Internet.
• Innocence in Danger provides timely information to empower both adults and children in negating the availability of child pornography and the activities of child molesters via the Internet.
• Internet Related Child Exploitation provides background information, statistics, safety guidelines, and prevention materials to assist parents and children to stay safe on the Internet.
• Keeping your child safe on the Internet - The Task Force on Child Protection on the Internet was established by the UK government, and is a unique partnership of Government, Industry, police and charitable organisations, working together to tackle the danger posed to children by online paedophiles. This website provides information to help parents advise their children on chatting safely online.
• Keeping safe on the net is a series of questions and answers about what can parents do to make the web safe for children.
• Kidsmart is a practical internet safety programme website for schools, young people, parents, and agencies, produced by the children's internet charity Childnet International.
• make-IT-safe is a global campaign to make IT safe for children and young people everywhere. Their goal is to get the IT industry and governments to take responsibility for making online and interactive technologies safe for children and young people. The make-IT-safe campaign unites children's groups in 67 countries led by ECPAT International and the Children's Charities Coalition for Internet Safety.
• NCH ITOK provides a list of useful websites that deal with safety on the Internet, including a checklist of rules for young people and adults.
• NetAlert is an independent community advocacy group, established by the Australian government in 1999. It was created to educate Australians about managing Internet access. The site has a special feature on dealing with pornography and pop-up advertisements, tips on Net usage and advice on how to report offensive sites online. NetAlert has launched a new website, Netty's World, to help educate children about safer Internet practices.
• NetParenting.com is a parental reference aimed at providing safety, education and entertainment for children on the Internet. Information is included on filtering software technologies.
• NetSafe, the website of the Internet Safety Group of New Zealand (ISG), an independent non-profit organisation, provides cybersafety education for all New Zealanders - children, parents, schools, community organisations and businesses. The ISG has been designated the Ministry of Education's 'agent of choice' for cybersafety education in New Zealand.
• NetSafeKids is a resource for concerned parents. The Internet offers children outstanding opportunities for educational growth and fun, but it also raises legitimate concerns about the risks of this seemingly boundless medium. This web site looks at how parents can deal with the dark side of modern technology and still allow children to explore the cyberworld? It aims to protect children from pornography and sexual predators on the Internet.
• Netsmartz is an interactive, educational safety resource from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) and Boys & Girls Clubs of America (B&GCA) for children aged 5 to 17, parents, guardians, educators, and law enforcement that uses age-appropriate, 3-D activities to teach children how to stay safer on the Internet. The goal of the NetSmartz Workshop is to extend the safety awareness of children to prevent victimisation and increase self-confidence whenever they go online.
• Online child safety drive launched - Advertisements aimed at children and parents and guidelines for chatroom providers are launched in an anti-paedophile drive.
• Open Directory Project is database of classified web content, covering Internet safety for children. It offers information and software solutions including different options for Internet filtering products to help protect children while they navigate through the World Wide Web.
• Safety Online: The Child Rights Information Network (CRIN) has compiled a set of resources designed to protect children from online abuse. The resources are meant for children, parents and guardians, teachers, law enforcement agencies, Internet Service Providers and all those who work with children.
• SuperClubsPLUS Australia aims to equip children with the skills, confidence and aptitude to effectively and safely engage with the wider Internet. It will help young people to develop an advanced understanding of online tools and technologies and an opportunity to use them in purposeful activities.
• Think you know is an Internet safety education initiative in Australia. It delivers training programs to Australian primary and secondary schools through a network of Think U Know accredited volunteers and school champions. It is a joint initiative between NetAlert, the Virtual Global Taskforce and Microsoft.
• Virtual Global Taskforce was created in 2003 as a direct response to lessons learned from investigations into online child abuse around the world. It is an international alliance of law enforcement agencies working together to make the Internet a safer place.
• Website Tool Kit aims to: provide a set of guidelines to schools and the community, which promote the safe use of Internet resources and online spaces for students and teachers; provide a practical framework for schools to use when designing or redeveloping websites; support schools and teachers in developing safe Internet practices for students; provide support for schools to align their websites with best practice; and support schools in meeting legal requirements in online environments. This resource has been developed to support schools in developing and maintaining websites which meet current government guidelines and standards. It also support schools to develop a simple, comprehensive approach for minimising the risks associated with Internet use. The Website Tool Kit replaces the Department's SafetyNet Guidelines.
• Young Media Australia is a non-profit advocacy group created to protect the interests of children and young people in relation to print, screen and online media. The site's Internet section has advice on supervising kids' Internet use, links to further reading and research and advice on choosing and using filtering software.
• To lodge a complaint concerning child abuse images or an offensive site on the Internet, some suggestions are:
  
  
  • Internet Watch Foundation
  • Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA)
  • Anti-Child Pornography Organization
  • NetAlert
  • Australlian High Tech Crime Centre (AHTCC)

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