The KidSmart initiative is supported by the Home Office's Internet taskforce on Child Protection. It was unveiled at the BETT education show on Thursday, and will be run throughout primary schools in England from January 2002.
KidSmart will be targeted at children aged eight to 11 years old. It will also educate parents and teachers in the dangers posed to children by Internet paedophiles. The learning programme builds on an earlier initiative piloted by Childnet International, which travelled around UK schools helping teachers to organise lessons on Internet safety.
Home Office minister Beverly Hughes, chair of the Internet taskforce, who recently helped to launch the government's "ThinkUKnow" public awareness campaign, said: "The Internet can be educational, informative, and most of all, fun for younger users -- but it is not immune from criminal abuse and can bring its own dangers". She said the KidSmart initiative will help protect younger users explore the Internet in safety.
The programme presented to the primary school children will centre on five SMART rules:
- Secret: Always keep your name, address, mobile phone number and password private.
- Meeting someone you have contacted in cyberspace can be dangerous. Only do so with your parents' permission, and then when they can be present.
- Accepting emails of opening files from people you don't realy know or trust can get you into trouble -- they may contain viruses or nasty messages.
- Remember someone online may be lying and not be who they say they are. Stick to the public areas in chat rooms and if you feel incomfortable simply get out of there!
- Tell your parent or carer if someone or something makes you feel uncomfortable or worried.
A Web site has been set up to support KidSmart at www.kidsmart.org.uk . The project will run in three separate programmes. A school activity day will travel around schools, offering a 30-minute drama and role play workshop for pupils. A separate programme will inform parents on the dangers of Internet chatrooms at evening seminars. Teachers will also be provided with lesson plans and worksheets for running safety sessions with pupils before and after the activity day.
The KidSmart programme ties up with the Home Office's "ThinkUKnow" campaign which launched at the start of 2002 and which will see hard-hitting adverts being screened in cinemas around the country, warning children that there are real dangers on the Internet.
