Nus Ghani says online safety is a real issue and parents need to be at the forefront of making sure children and young people are kept safe online.
Nus Ghani has joined with more than 1,000 schools, charities, and businesses to pledge their support for making the internet a safer place for children and young people.
February 11 is Safer Internet Day, a globally recognised celebration promoting the safe and positive use of digital technology for children and young people.
The event, coordinated in the UK by the UK Safer Internet Centre (UK SIC), is celebrated in over a hundred countries. Over 1,000 Ambassadors for the cause are involved, including some in Wealden.
New research by the UK SIC reveals the internet is a fundamental part of young people’s identity, and that online experiences are an essential part of who they are offline, with 38% saying it’s easier to be themselves online than offline.
But, despite the positives the internet can bring, there are downsides too.
UK SIC found a quarter (25%) of 13-17-year olds say they have been targeted with online hate in the last month because of their gender, sexuality, race, religion, disability or gender identity, with 45% of disabled teens and 32% of BAME teens reporting this.
According to the research 62% of children aged 8 to 17 years old have said they are more careful about what they share online because of people being mean based on who they are.
Nus Ghani said:
‘Safer Internet Day raises awareness of a really important issue. We are all responsible for ensuring that our children are kept safe; increasingly, this means that we must face the threats presented online.’
‘As an MP I am asked to help parents and children dealing with abuse, bullying and sexual assault. My experience in Wealden, from Hailsham, Uckfield to Crowborough and the surrounding villages, has given me an insight to the perspective of parents as well as the challenges children face in the modern world.’
‘I am always delighted to engage with and support the good work put in by the Government and the charity sector to tackle online bullying. I have previously worked closely with Barnardo’s on this issue and I always highlight the need for safety online whenever I visit Wealden schools.’
Nus Ghani urged constituents who are concerned about online safety to visit https://www.saferinternet.org.uk/safer-internet-day/2020
The UK Safer Internet Centre is a partnership of three leading charities – Childnet, Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) and South West Grid for Learning (SWGfL) - with a shared mission to make the internet a better place for children and young people.
The partnership was appointed by the European Commission as the Safer Internet Centre for the UK in January 2011 and is one of the 31 Safer Internet Centres of the Insafe network.
