Merseyside Police's crest

Parents and teachers are today (Tuesday, 9 February) being encouraged to help change children's online behaviour to mark EU Safer Internet Day 2010.

The initiative – which sees events taking place across Europe – encourages internet users of all ages to think about how they are using the internet and what they can do to stay safe. Within the UK, the Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre, the national Centre for child protection, is spearheading activities and launching new resources to raise awareness and empower children and young people.

Research by Ofcom shows that 78% of 5-7 year olds are now using the internet*, so learning about online safety is as integral as learning to cross the road. One of a number of resources that are being launched to mark Safer Internet Day 2010 is 'Lee and Kim's Adventure' – a brand new interactive animated cartoon for 5-7 year olds from the CEOP Centre.

Children can follow the adventures of Lee and Kim and understand issues such as cyberbullying and talking to strangers on the internet, whilst parents and teachers can use additional resources to help their children understand an easy code – Zip It, Block It, Flag It – part of the Click Clever Click Safe campaign, launched by the Government last year.

Throughout Merseyside, schools, local authorities, safeguarding children's boards and the police have been working together to raise awareness of online safety and in particular Safer Internet Day, resulting in a number of activities taking place. These include:

• Online safety messages sent by Merseyside Police via Bluetooth
• Assemblies being led by local schools addressing the issues of online safety
• Leaflets and materials being distributed that contain online safety advice

Imperative to educate 

Neil Greenough of Merseyside Police's Hi-Tech Crime Unit explains, "Children of an ever decreasing age are using the internet nowadays and it is imperative that we educate these young people at the earliest opportunity as to the risks that the internet poses. Through the various activities taking place as part of 'Safer Internet Day 2010', we hope to achieve this goal and will continue to work in partnership with local Safeguarding Children Boards across Merseyside to minimise the risk of sexual exploitation of children throughout the Force area."

Helen Penn, CEOP's Head of Education explains more: "The theme of this year's Safer Internet Day is 'Think before you post' and we would like to encourage everyone to do just that – do you really know who you are talking to? Is it really sensible to post that photo of yourself on your social networking site? By changing children's online behaviour and educating them from an early age, we not only empower them with the skills they need to stay safe, but also deter those offenders who seek to harm children online".

As well as teachers, police officers and child protection specialists, hundreds of volunteers from Microsoft, O2 and Visa will be going into schools around the UK, delivering CEOP's Thinkuknow education programme to over 50,000 young people. To find out more about this programme or to book a volunteer to present in a school, you can contact the CEOP Education team by emailing protect@ceop.gsi.gov.uk.