Safer Internet Day focuses on being responsible

Yesterday (February 5) marked the tenth annual Safer Internet Day (SID), which aims to educate people of all ages how to be safe while online.

With the development of tablets and other mobile devices, it's never been more important to teach children about how to be responsible when using the internet.

SID has embarked upon a Facebook campaign and marketing through other sites to spread awareness.

The theme for 2013 is about rights and responsibilities and with social media, we should all be reminded of how to be a good digital citizen.

SID is particularly focusing on the theme of "connect with respect", which refers to how interaction with others can turn sour – an occurrence that should be avoided.

CyberSmart – the Australian government website on all things related to internet security – has endorsed the SID and provides parents with information about concepts such as cyber bullying, protecting personal information, and inappropriate content.

SID started as an initiative of the European Union SafeBorders project in 2004 and adopted by the Insafe network. It has grown to be recognised in over 90 countries across the globe as all nations face issues related to internet safety.

The issues that SID brings to the fore range from cyberbullying to social networking and it is always trying to tackle issues that are ever present.

Previous themes that have been explored in SID have included bridging the generational gap by encouraging seniors to adapt to new technology and start using the internet.

SID provides a platform for individual countries to showcase their own agendas on how issues in their own backyards should be handled.

Posted by Tim Wright

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