U.K. ‘Safer Internet Day’ Highlights Web Risks

LONDON - The fifth Safer Internet Day held Wednesday across Europe featured events designed to educate children and parents about online dangers, such as sharing personal data and having virtual friends who don't reveal their true identities.

People from more than 50 countries were expected to participate.

Safer Internet Day featured themed events warning children of online dangers and public events encouraging parents to oversee their children's online lives.

U.K. schools have been encouraged to lead assemblies to discuss how children should behave online. Prior to Safer Internet Day, schools, youth groups and clubs worked on projects urging children to consider safety while online. Local authorities have been running events to help educate parents.

A spokeswoman for the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre, which coordinated the U.K.'s involvement, said the group's efforts were focused on getting schools to run assemblies focusing on the issue.

"It's about getting them talking about the issue, the personal information they put online and their social networking profiles," she said.

Teaching materials for younger and older children were produced to help teachers prepare. A short film for teenagers was produced to point out the potential dangers of meeting people they talk to online.

One of the most important points for children to realize, the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre spokeswoman said, is that the people they talk to online might not be other youngsters.

"If they are going to meet someone in the real world, they should make sure to take a trusted older person or an adult," she said. "The message is getting through, and now it's about refining that message."

A global survey conducted by security firm Symantec found that 75 percent of parents do not know what their children are doing online. Though adults in the U.K. thought only 4 percent of children were approached by strangers, the survey found that 20 percent were approached.