Vodafone portal helps parents keep kids safe online
Every parent should have concerns about online safety for their children.
There are so many different ways to access the internet and not all of them are safe. Vodafone Ireland launched a new Digital Parenting Portal this week to promote child online safety.
Vodafone says the portal will be a destination for parents to learn how to keep their children safe in our increasingly digital world.
I wasn’t surprised to learn that 75% of Irish parents claim they do not intervene in their child’s online activity due to fear, disruption of the child’s privacy, lack of confidence with technology and uncertainty in how to tackle problems.
The new Digital Parenting Portal has been developed to provide parents, guardians and carers with information and advice on how best to engage in productive conversations around online safety with their children.
According to one recent online survey conducted by the National Anti-bullying Research and Resource Centre, DCU, on behalf of the Vodafone Ireland Foundation in May 2019.
The study was an Online Safety survey of 520 parents of children aged between six and 16 years, nearly half (46%) of Irish parents look to their friends, family and other parents for advice on keeping their children safe online.
However, around 35% of the nation’s parents would rather use online resources to educate and better equip themselves to positively address their children’s digital lifestyles.
The new web portal is packed with free resources, articles and practical tools to help parents build confidence and resilience in young people — ensuring the next generation is fully equipped to deal with the digital world both now and in the future.
Some 85% stated that an increase in services, websites, talks and events for parents would play a key support role in them keeping their children safe online. Forty-five per cent of parents surveyed are not happy with their child’s online usage with 17% confirming their child had a negative experience online and 9% admitting they were uncertain as to whether their child had a negative experience or not.
Commenting on the launch of the Digital Parenting Portal, Vodafone Ireland’s Liam O’Brien said: “I am very pleased to announce the launch of Vodafone Ireland’s Digital Parenting Portal, which aims to help create a safer, more progressive online world for young people in our society.
“Our aim is to open up the conversation around online safety in Ireland, ensuring that parents and young people are fully equipped with the knowledge and confidence to navigate our increasingly digital society.”
During the past 20 years, Vodafone has been a leading positive force in online child protection. At a European level, Vodafone has played a key role in helping to shape the guiding principles of the ICT Coalition for Children Online, while also being a signatory to the European Commission’s CEO Coalition to make the Internet a Better Place for Kids.
