Safer Internet Day
Teens and technology: Be aware before you share
Government of Canada signals commitment to fight Internet child exploitation
Ombudsman for Victims of Crime and Cybertip.ca mark Internet Safety Day with a warning for parents
Teens and technology: Be aware before you share
Respect Yourself Public Awareness Campaign Launched on Safer Internet Day
Winnipeg, MB - The Canadian Centre for Child Protection has launched a Respect Yourself public awareness campaign designed to teach teens about the risks they face when
sending pictures or videos by email, instant messaging or by posting them online.
"Children need to fully understand the ramifications of sending pictures or videos, because once they send it, they no longer have control over who sees it or what is done with it from that point
on," said Lianna McDonald, Executive Director of the Canadian Centre for Child Protection. "The Respect Yourself campaign will guide teens through the risks and provide them with safety
strategies to help keep them safe."
"We are pleased to again see the Canadian Centre for Child Protection take on a leadership role in promoting internet safety," said Manitoba Education, Citizenship & Youth Minister Peter
Bjornson. "Children make up one of the most vulnerable populations in our society, and with advancements in technology happening at such a rapid pace, campaigns such as Respect Yourself are
important in helping protect children from falling victim to internet predators."
Launched on Safer Internet Day - an internationally recognized day to promote the safe and responsible use of online and mobile technology - the Respect Yourself campaign
includes a comprehensive website for teens, a Respect Yourself booklet that will be distributed to more than 300,000 grade seven students across Canada, and a series of three posters for
use inside classrooms.
"The message to teens is - respect yourself, respect others, and be aware before you share," added McDonald. "The Respect Yourself campaign is about encouraging teens to think twice
before they send a photo or video. They need to consider if sending it will hurt them or someone else, or will it come back to haunt them years from now? Safe Internet practices are in
everybody's best interests."
Some key safety tips include:
- Once it's shared - there's no getting it back. While photos or videos can be deleted from the original site, there's no control of copies that have been forwarded, downloaded or reposted.
- Pay close attention to what's being shared. Visual clues such as identifying background items or things like team jerseys could be used by someone to try to track down a child.
- Think about the future. What is posted online today will be available on the Internet years from now - and employers use search engines to find current and past information on a candidate prior to hiring them.
McDonald extended her thanks to Bell, TELUS, Shaw, Rogers, MTS Allstream and the federal and Manitoba governments for their ongoing support, which plays a significant role in the Canadian Centre
for Child Protection's ability to carry out important initiatives such as the Respect Yourself public awareness campaign.
For more tips and other information, please visit the Respect Yourself website -
www.cybertip.ca/respectyourself. In addition to this Internet safety information, parents or
guardians of children 8-15 years of age are encouraged to download age-appropriate Safety and the Internet brochures at:
www.protectchildren.ca/safety_brochures.
For more information please contact:
Canadian Centre for Child Protection
Tish Best, Director of Communications
Office: (204) 945-6020 Cellular: (204) 250-7992
Email: tish@protectchildren.ca
Government of Canada signals commitment to fight Internet child exploitation
Ottawa, February 10, 2009 - The Honourable Peter Van Loan, Minister of Public Safety, today acknowledged Safer Internet Day and announced the renewal of the National Strategy
for the Protection of Children from Sexual Exploitation on the Internet, to help keep our children safe from online predators.
"Safer Internet Day reminds us of the importance in combating online victimization, including - and especially - when it involves our children, said Minister Van Loan. "Valued partners like the
RCMP's National Child Exploitation Coordination Centre and the Canadian Centre for Child Protection are already achieving admirable results. I am pleased to announce the renewal of the national
strategy that will assist their efforts."
The National Strategy will help us combat child victimization by:
- Increasing our capacity to investigate and track down on-line predators;
- Enhancing public education and awareness; and,
- Supporting further research on child sexual exploitation.
"The renewal of the national Strategy allows us to continue to provide the Canadian law enforcement community with the specialized training, technological tools, and expert resources required to
successfully investigate Internet-facilitated child sexual abuse," said RCMP Superintendent John Bilinski, Officer-in-Charge of the National Child Exploitation Coordination Centre.
To further highlight the government's commitment to creating awareness of the risks associated with online activities, the Minister was joined by the Canadian Centre for Child Protection to
launch their Respect Yourself campaign - involving a comprehensive website for teens and an activity booklet that will be distributed to grade 7 classes across Canada.
"It's important that teens learn about how their every day online activities can put them at risk," said Lianna McDonald, Executive Director of the Canadian Centre for Child Protection. "Children
need to know that once a photo, video or text message is shared there is no way to regain full control over it again. The Respect Yourself campaign will guide teens through the risks and
provide them with safety strategies to keep them safe."
Safer Internet Day is an internationally recognized day to promote awareness of safe and responsible use of on-line technologies.
For more information on efforts to combat child sexual exploitation please visit:
www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/ncecc-cncee/index-accueil-eng.htm and
www.cybertip.ca. For more information on the Respect Yourself campaign, please visit
www.cybertip.ca/respectyourself.
For further information:
Media Relations
Public Safety Canada
613-991-0657
Canadian Centre for Child Protection
Tish Best, Director of Communications
204-945-6020
Media Relations
RCMP
613-993-2999
Ombudsman for Victims of Crime and Cybertip.ca mark Internet Safety Day with a warning for parents
OTTAWA (Ontario) February 10, 2009 - The Office of the Federal Ombudsman for Victims of Crime and Cybertip.ca today came together to remind parents about the important role they play
in helping keep their children safe from Internet predators.
"I have heard too many stories about how the Internet has helped abusers find victims, build false trust and in some cases lure them to horrific abuses", says the Federal Ombudsman for Victims of
Crime, Steve Sullivan. "Part of the solution is for parents and children to learn from each other about how the Internet works, what sorts of tools and sites children are visiting and what risks
sharing information on those sites might pose. The Internet can be a great resource; it's just a matter of smart sharing. That's where parents come in by helping their kids understand that what they
share could be used for other, more malicious purposes."
"The office of the Ombudsman for Victims of Crime plays such a valuable role in assisting victims and their families. We're so pleased to be able to address our mutual concern for the protection of all
children by joining with them today to speak out on the importance of safe Internet practices," said Lianna McDonald, Executive Director of the Canadian Centre for Child Protection.
For parents who are not sure how to begin the conversation with their children, the Ombudsman and Cybertip.ca - the Canadian Centre for Child Protection's national tipline for reporting the online
sexual exploitation of children - offer the following tips:
- Take time to learn how your child uses the Internet. Sit down and have them show you the tools they use to talk to friends and the sites they visit most often.
- Talk to your children about the public nature of the Internet. Emphasize that often people are not who they say they are and make sure they understand that every time they send a photo there is a chance that someone else could intercept and copy it.
- Make sure your child understands that once a picture or video is sent, they can't get it back. Even if they delete it, they will have lost control of any copies that have been forwarded, downloaded or reposted.
- Videos and photos tell a story. Before sending a video or photo, teach your child to ask themselves "am I sharing any personal information?" Visual clues like posters, houses, parks and clothing (ex: team jerseys) or even sounds could be used to try to track down and contact your child.
- Make sure your child is thinking about the future. What they post online today will be available on the Internet years from now - and employers use search engines to find current and past information on a candidate prior to hiring them.
- Ensure your child respects others. If they are going to share videos or photos of others, they should have permission first.
- Importantly, teach your child that if they're going to share they should choose a site that offers a password or other security features.
To mark this year's Safer Internet Day, Cybertip.ca also launched its Respect Yourself campaign to teach teens about the risks they face when sending pictures or videos of themselves by email or
instant messaging, or by posting them online. The Respect Yourself campaign includes a comprehensive website for teens, posters and an activity booklet that will be distributed to grade 7 classes
across Canada. The website is found at www.cybertip.ca/respectyourself. In addition, parents or guardians of
children 8-15 years of age can also download age-appropriate Safety and the Internet brochures at:
www.protectchildren.ca/safety_brochures.
The Office of the Federal Ombudsman for Victims of Crime helps victims to address their needs, promotes their interests and makes recommendations to the federal government on issues that
negatively impact victims. For more information, visit their website at: www.victimsfirst.gc.ca
The Canadian Centre for Child Protection is a non-profit, charitable organization dedicated to the personal safety of all children. Its goal is to reduce child victimization by providing programs
and services to the Canadian public - including Cybertip.ca, Canada's national tipline for the reporting the online sexual exploitation of children.
For more information please contact:
Office of the Federal Ombudsman for Victims of Crime
Christina McDonald
Telephone: 613-941-3428
Email: Christina.mcdonald@ombudsman.gc.ca
Canadian Centre for Child Protection
Tish Best, Communications Director
Telephone: 204-945-6020
Email: tish@protectchildren.ca
