Guides For Parents on Kids Use of Internet

By 250 News

The Province of  B.C. has  developed special guides for parents to help keep kids safe  when they use the internet.

The Ministry of Education will cover the costs of distributing the printed guides to B.C. schools.


The Canadian Centre for Child Protection has developed three guides about safety and the Internet for parents of children aged 8 and 9, 10 to 12 and 13 to 15. The guides will help parents understand what their children may be doing while online, including sections on Internet language, risk factors, healthy development and personal safety, and quick facts about children's online interests.

"It's time that we empower parents with strategies to reduce their child's chances of being victimized," said Lianna McDonald, executive director of the Canadian Centre for Child Protection. "Parents will really benefit from having this hands-on tool to better understand the variety of risks that children are faced with on the Internet."

As more and more families use computers in their homes, the threat of cyber stalking, bullying and safety issues also increases. According to results from several Canadian polls and reports conducted over the past three years:

* In homes without rules about Internet usage, 74 per cent of children report that an adult is never present when they use the Internet, and 21 per cent of children report having met someone in person whom they first met online. (Erin Research 2005)

* Children account for 61 per cent of all victims of sexual assault reported to the police and 21 per cent of all victims of physical assault. (Statistics Canada 2003)

* 72 per cent of Canadians feel that if someone wanted to access child pornography online, it would be very easy to do so. (Pollara 2005)

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