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Call for education on internet dangers

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The head of a Dundee charity that helps abuse victims has said children are becoming increasingly vulnerable to internet predators who target their victims through social networking sites.

Laurie Matthew, co-ordinator of Eighteen And Under, was speaking after convicted rapist Peter Chapman was jailed for 35 yearsat Teesside Crown Court for murdering 17-year-old Ashleigh Hall in a field in Country Durham.

Ms Matthew said children should be taught how to use social networking sites like Bebo, Facebook and MySpace safely.

She added that it is not only sexual predators who use fake identities to lure children-some have also been attacked by gangs in Dundee after being duped into going to a specified meeting place.

“It’s only a matter of time before there are more reports like this,” Ms Matthew said yesterday.

“We have had a lot of contact from young people who have had problems with things like Facebook.

“I have contacted Facebook several times myself with complaints.

“The thing is that assuming identities, especially among younger people, is really, really common.”

“We’ve not had any cases like Ashleigh Hall’s in Dundee but there has been a lot of bullying. There have been cases where kids are set up to go somewhere and a gang is waiting for them and jumps them.”

Eighteen And Under workers regularly visit schools to discuss internet safety and Ms Matthew said the attitudes of many children regarding their online activities is alarming.

“The really scary thing is most children say they would go and meet somebody,” she said.

“They say they would take a friend with them so they would be perfectly safe. They even say things like if somebody has a webcam you can trust them.”

Boys are particularly unconcerned about the dangers they face online, she added.

“We try to teach girls certain things but boys seem basically unaware. We are trying to get through to both of them that it’s not safe.”Do you fear for your children’s safety online, or are the risks being overstated? Have your say in the comments.But banning children from social networking sites is not the answer, she said, adding, “It’s about education. The only way to deal with it is to stay a step ahead.

“The problem is parents are saying don’t talk to strangers but they’re not aware of some of the things going on online.

“A lot of parents are computer illiterate so they’re not able to keep up.

“It’s not about telling kids not to use these sites, it’s teaching them to do it safely and encouraging young people to speak up if they have a problem.”

Facebook has been strongly criticised for not including a “panic button” on its web page so that people can report or block anyone they are concerned about and Ms Matthew said it is important the feature is added as soon as possible.

Jim Gamble is chief executive of the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP), which monitors websites for child sex abuse images. He said Facebook was failing to use “simple measures” to protect children.

The centre’s “ClickCEOP” button takes users to advice about online dangers and gives them the opportunity to report concerns about online predators.

“We want Facebook to adopt our simple measures or explain why they are not using it,” Mr Gamble said.

“We have seen teenagers driven to suicide as well as being groomed by sex offenders.

“We need to demand a greater and more ethical approach from social networking giants.

“They could configure the site to use the button. There were 267 reports to us in 2009 about Facebook-only 1% came to us directly from Facebook.

“I fear we will be sitting here again in a few weeks whilst I trot out the same words like a broken record.”

Children’s commissioner Dame Maggie Atkinson said Facebook had a “moral duty” to protect children and young people.

“I can’t state how strongly I feel that Facebook should be part of this networking of safety concerns across the industry,” she said. “I don’t understand why they’re not prepared to do it.”

Facebook said the safety of users was a “top priority.”

A spokesman said, “We have reporting buttons on every page of our site and continue to invest heavily in creating the most robust reporting system to support our 400 million users.

“We work closely with police forces in the UK and around the world and have trained staff on two continents giving 24-hour support in 70 languages.”

Dundee City Council has also taken steps to try to ensure children do not put themselves at risk online.

It has set up a multi-agency internet safety partnership to help teach young people about the risks associated with a range of technology, from the internet, social networking and mobile phone use.Do you fear for your children’s safety online, or are the risks being overstated? Have your say in the comments.