By Editor
The UK government has begun work on a new internet
safety strategy that it claims will make Britain the “safest place in the world”
for children to be online.
The new cross-party drive will focus on four areas:
helping young people to help themselves; making parents aware of the dangers of
going online so they can discuss it with their children; placing a greater
focus on the industry’s responsibilities and exploring how technology can be
used to provide solutions.
A report is set to be drawn up outlining how young
people are using the internet, while also exploring the current climate in
terms of threats posed online.
There will also be a series of roundtable
discussions involving ministers and officials from departments across the
government.
The development of the internet safety strategy is
being led by the UK’s secretary of state for culture, media and sport, Karen
Bradley.
“It is increasingly clear that some behaviors which
are unacceptable offline are being tolerated or even encouraged online –
sometimes with devastating consequences,” she said.
“We are determined to make Britain the safest place
in the world to be online, and to help people protect themselves from the risks
they might face.”
Ensuring that children are able to enjoy and
benefit from the internet is an increasingly pressing issue, as the number of
threats online has increased.
Cyberbullying, sexting, and content that promotes
self-harm are all reportedly becoming concerns for parents.
For example, figures released by the PSHE Association last year found that
that the issue of sexting was particularly pressing for 78% of British parents,
compared to 69% concerned by alcohol misuse.
Similarly, a 2016 paper from the Children’s Commissioner reported that one
in 10 young people has been the victim of cyberbullying, and there has
also reportedly been a rise in cases of self-harm.
Furthermore, recent statistics from the National Crime Agency suggest cybercriminals are also getting
younger, with the average age of cybercrime suspects recorded at just 17 last
year.