Parent’s guide to the internet welcomed

Arlene McCarthy

A guide to the internet has been warmly welcomed by parents, celebrities and politicians across the North West.

Childnet International, a non-profit internet safety group devoted to making the internet a safe place for children, has joined with pro-music.org, findanyfilm.com and whymusicmatters.org, to produce ‘Music, Film, TV and The Internet – a Guide for Parents and Teachers.’

The guide details the dangers of using peer-to-peer networks, torrent services, and online streaming, telling of the threat of viruses, offensive material and Spyware.

Arlene McCarthy, Labour MEP for the North West, said: “Making sure your children are safe and legal online can be a bit of a headache for parents. This guide provides simple and practical advice for parents and teachers advising young people on how to enjoy music and films safely and legally on the internet.”

Mrs McCarthy estimates over 140,000 people in the North West are employed in the creative industries, or 7% of our total employment, with the industry growing 29% between 1995 -2002 and a further 18% growth projected by 2013.

“Teaching children to value and respect our creative industries is an important part of our future economic success as a region,” she added.

The guide has already been supported by Bury soap star Kym Marsh. She said: "I find it incredibly hard to keep up with what my two teenagers are doing online so can definitely see the value of a new guide for muddled mums like myself who are concerned about safety issues.

“When young people use legitimate sites to access music or TV content, it supports the many people who work in the UK entertainment industry.”

Lucinda Fell, Director of Policy and Communications at Childnet International, explained parents are often confused about what can be done legally and safely, and have asked for practical, jargon-free information that can help them talk to their children.

She said: "We hope the guide will help parents and teachers to introduce the concept of responsible digital citizenship - the idea of behaving as safely and responsibly in cyberspace as you would offline. This is at the heart of what Childnet does.”

Childnet is a UK-based charity and has previously been involved in partnerships with the government to challenge internet issues such as cyberbullying.

The guide is available at www.childnet-int.org/downloading 

Hard copies can be ordered free-of-charge from laura.childs@ifpi.org