Agreement to make the internet safe for children

An agreement aimed at making internet a safe yet fun learning experience for children was signed yesterday between the IT Ministry and the UK-based Childnet International.

Set up by its chief executive, Nigel Williams, in 1995, Childnet is a registered charity which was also commissioned by the EU to pave the way for its action plan on the internet's use and abuse.

The two-year agreement, signed by IT Minister Austin Gatt and Mr Williams during a press conference, will include training, sharing of resources and awareness campaigns among others.

Mr Williams, who leaves Malta this morning, yesterday met the key players in the field, including police, teachers, Appogg and IT coordinators, among others, to listen to their views, priorities and needs.

The agreement is the culmination of 18 months of work by the e-Malta Commission which places Childnet International within its overall strategy.

Dr Gatt said this organisation had been recommended as the foremost player in the EU and Malta had tapped into its resources to learn from its expertise.

"At the moment Malta has the highest penetration of computers in primary and secondary schools, higher than that in the UK and Germany," he said.

However, he said the government was aware that every invention could be abused and this agreement aimed to provide parents with information while helping children make informed choices.

Mr Williams said Childnet International would be acting as advisers to the government and using the experience it gained working in numerous other countries to speed up the learning experience.

"We will be localising our programmes and training tools specifically for Malta to ensure parents keep up with their children, and children remain cool about their parents' reaction towards the internet," he said.

"The government has a sensible strategy and we are fitting into this framework," he added.

Childnet International has produced leaflets for both parents and children highlighting the positive side of the internet, while also pointing out the dangers involved.

"What we bring is a level-headed, realistic assessment of the positive and negative aspects of the internet. We don't sensationalise or underplay the issues at hand," he said after the press conference.

Internet had no boundaries and Mr Williams said the concerns expressed by parents in Malta were similar to those experienced in other countries.

"One advantage Malta has is that being a small island provides a good opportunity for different key players to work together and contain the dangers," he said.

Childnet International felt there were three main areas of danger when dealing with internet. These were content, getting links to pornographic sites; contact, getting in touch with people who wish to hurt children; and the commercial side, where some companies collect information on children and send promotional material directly to them.

"While parents tend to use the internet for research and sending e-mails, children are surfing the net and entering chat rooms with the risk of establishing contact with strangers who intend to hurt them," he said.

Mr Williams said the parent's initial concern was that their child would enter pornographic sites.

"This is very upsetting to families, especially in countries such as Malta where in the past there were tight controls as to which material could enter the island. Suddenly, all the material withheld is available at the click of a button."

Another emerging issue was the child's internet access through mobile phones.

"Children feel safe because the phone is private. But more worrying than that is how you supervise your child's phone," he said.

Mr Williams believes that the programmes of Childnet International have had a positive impact on children and parents in different countries.

One successful aspect was the setting up of Childnet Awards in 1998, which encourage children to come up with new projects and exciting internet sites.

Now children in Malta can join 50 other countries and take part in these awards by developing outstanding, innovative internet projects that directly benefit children worldwide.

"Through these awards children have brought a refreshing idealism to using the internet."

www.childnet-int.org