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GOVERNMENT LAUNCHES NEW UK COUNCIL FOR CHILD INTERNET SAFETY
29 September 2008- FAMILIES AT THE FOREFRONT OF MAKING THE INTERNET SAFER - Some of the biggest names from industry and charities have joined forces with the Government, parents and young people to help keep children safe online, Children’s Secretary Ed Balls and Home Secretary Jacqui Smith announced today.The new UK Council for Child Internet Safety (UKCCIS) will unite over 100 organisations from the public and private sector working with Government to deliver recommendations from Dr Tanya Byron’s report ‘Safer Children in a Digital World’. Reporting directly to the Prime Minister, the Council will help to improve the regulation and education around internet use, tackling problems around online bullying, safer search features, and violent video games. This unprecedented coalition of experts and organisations will ensure that parents and young people have a voice in the development of a Child Internet Safety Strategy, to be delivered early next year. The strategy will:• establish a comprehensive public information and awareness and child internet safety campaign across Government and industry including a ‘one-stop shop’ on child internet safety;• provide specific measures to support vulnerable children and young people, such as taking down illegal internet sites that promote harmful behaviour;• promote responsible advertising to children online; and • establish voluntary codes of practice for user-generated content sites, making such sites commit to take down inappropriate content within a given time.Speaking at the launch of the UKCCIS at the Science Museum in London, Children’s Minister Ed Balls said: “Today’s launch is a significant achievement and I thank all members of the Council for their support and commitment. We want to help children and young people to make the most of what all digital and interactive technologies can offer. By putting in place the right support for children, young people and parents we can reduce much of the anxiety that exists around the internet. UKCISS will enable everyone from parents to industry, Government, education, and children’s welfare organisations to play their part in keeping children safe online.” Home Secretary Jacqui Smith said:“We are determined to do all we can to ensure that the internet environment is safe for children to use. Earlier this year, the Home Office published the first ever social networking guidance developed with industry, charities and law enforcement. “The new UK Council builds on this by bringing together over one hundred organisations all committed to keeping children safe online. By working in partnership we can intensify our efforts to protect young people.”Review author Dr Tanya Byron said:“Every parent will know that know that video games and the internet are a part of childhood like never before. This is extremely positive; giving kids the opportunities to learn to have fun and communicate in ways that previous generations could only dream of. But it can also present a huge challenge to parents and other adults involved in the welfare of children. “That this why we need industry, regulators and parents to work together to protect children against the risks. Setting up UKCISS was a key recommendation in my report and I'm delighted that the Government along with industry, education, law enforcement, and the children’s charities have acted so promptly to make this a reality. “The Council will be a powerful union of some of our key players giving support to parents and guidance to children as they come more and more accustomed to the virtual world – it will also give families, teachers and most importantly children and young people the ability to input experiences and concerns. The UK is a world leader on internet safety for children and I look forward to others adopting this partnership approach."Culture Secretary Andy Burnham said:“We all know the number of benefits the internet has brought to our day to day lives. But it has also raised questions about how we can and should protect the public, and particularly children, in this online space. To our very great benefit, we’ve embraced the online world wholeheartedly, but we must ensure that what is unacceptable offline should not be acceptable online. The UK Council for Child Internet Safety will allow all stakeholders to work together in finding appropriate ways of maintaining the standards of the online material that young people have access to.”Matthew Bishop at MICROSOFT said:“The internet opens a door into all our homes. It is perhaps the single greatest innovation for expanding the horizons of knowledge and creativity. But, as with all human growth and exploration these benefits come hand in hand with elements of risk, especially for children. As an industry, and as a company, we are working hard to ensure that the internet is as safe an environment as possible. All of us who are concerned for the welfare of children, or have children of our own, welcome the formation of this council and its objective of protecting young people in the digital world.”The Government also announced today the successful appointees to the Council’s Executive Board. Chaired by DCSF and HO Ministers, the Board includes senior representation from across Government, industry, the third sector, law enforcement and the devolved administrations. UKCCIS will report annually to the Prime Minister at the Child Internet Safety Summit.Editor's Notes
This press notice relates to 'England'
1. In September 2007, the Prime Minister asked Dr Tanya Byron to lead an independent review to help parents and their children get the most from new technologies while protecting children from inappropriate or harmful material. The focus was on the internet and video games. 2. Her report, ‘Safer Children in a Digital World’, was published in March 2008: http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/byronreview/3. The Government accepted all of Dr Byron’s recommendations and published The Byron Review Action Plan in June 2008 to set out how the Government intends to implement the recommendations. The Action Plan can be found at: http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/byronreview/actionplan4. The establishment of a UK Council for Child Internet Safety was a key recommendation in Dr Tanya Byron’s Report. The Council is a multi stakeholder forum within which all those with an interest in Child Internet Safety are able to come together to develop a strategy for improving child internet safety based on two core elements: better regulation – in the form of voluntary codes of practice that industry can sign up to – and better information and education for children, young people, parents and carers. The Council will be chaired by DCSF and Home Office and be supported by a cross Government secretariat. 5. The Council will be the largest ever coalition of internet safety experts, bringing together some of the biggest names in industry, children’s charities, law enforcement, Government as well as children, young people and parents. The current membership of the Council is at Annex B.
[Annexe B]6. The Executive Board to the Council will be chaired by Home Offfice and DCSF Ministers and is expected to meet on a quarterly basis. Its role will be to provide strategic support and direction to Council activity, hold the Chairs of the working and sub groups to account and ensure progress against the strategy is secured. The membership of the Board is at Annex A.
[CLICK HERE]Contact Details
Public Enquiries 0870 000 2288, info@dcsf.gsi.gov.uk
Press Notice 2008/0215
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