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Speaking at Safer Internet Day (at Child Focus, Safer Internet Centre, Belgium), European Commission Vice-President Kroes raised the question of balancing the unquestionable benefits offered by the Internet with the need to keep children safe online. In keeping with the aims of Safer Internet Day, ECDL Foundation’s new IT Security certification focuses on providing the right competences for safe surfing and computer usage.
European children are using the Internet on a daily basis for longer periods, and with greater frequency – not just for surfing the Web, but for accessing schoolwork assignments, developing their personal interests, and for actually contributing to the Web’s diversity by uploading video content, social networking etc.
The EU has taken certain actions, such as investing €55 million into awareness-raising projects aimed at making the Internet safer for children. Despite this investment, a recent survey conducted by the London School of Economics has shown that nearly half of the participating children did not know how to change the privacy settings of their social networking sites, and in another complementary EU-wide survey, only 14% of parents surveyed said that they had set up parental web-filtering software to protect their children.
These figures reinforce the need for modifying the behaviour of the user (both child and parent) through educational measures that raise their awareness of the dangers that the Internet poses – not just in relation to the safety of children, but also in relation to data and network protection.
According to Ms. Kroes: “But at the end of the day, nothing can replace education. Children and parents need to make efforts to know their rights and responsibilities online.”
Programmes such as ECDL Foundation’s IT Security module is one such educational measure; it is intended to influence a user’s attitude, awareness and behaviour so that they become more security conscious, rather than being centred on the use of specific applications or software. By raising awareness to threats, it will help the younger generation develop good online habits, and will help to keep them safer on the Internet for longer.
ECDL Foundation welcomes the Commission’s actions (those already undertaken and proposed ones) that promote safer internet use, yet stresses that they need to go further than merely raising user’s awareness or engaging in dialogue with industry. Skills development programmes that, by enabling users to educate themselves in safer internet use, should be incorporated into future EU-level recommendations.
About ECDL Foundation
ECDL Foundation (ecdl.org) is the certifying authority for the leading international computer skills certification programme - ECDL / ICDL. ECDL Foundation's mission is to enable proficient use of ICT that empowers individuals, organisations and society, through the development, promotion, and delivery of quality certification programmes throughout the world. With over 11 million candidates participating in a range of programmes, ECDL Foundation has set the global benchmark in end-user skills certification.
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conor.brownlee[.]ecdl.org 
