The Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (ISPCC) has called for the introduction of a ‘panic button’ for children using social networking sites such as Facebook.
The proposed ‘safety button’ application would allow young users to report worrying or inappropriate behavior to child protection authorities.
In a report published on Thursday, the ISPCC said that it has been promoting the measure for several years, and that a similar system is currently operational in the UK.
The report acknowledged that “there can be risks involved in the use of new technologies” and that the introduction of new measures was “vital” to ensuring the safety of Irish children.
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A new study commissioned by the ISPCC involving over 18,000 young people from around Ireland revealed that one in six teens has met, in person, with somebody they met over the Internet.
The report also found that children are spending large amounts of time in their bedrooms using the Internet without supervision.
“To hear that so many young people, despite the threats lurking online, are spending hours in their bedrooms, unsupervised, giving out personal information and in some cases organizing to meet up with strangers is absolutely horrific,” said ISPCC CEO, Ashley Balbirnie.
“The figures clearly show that young people are not taking necessary and available safety precautions while online and leaving themselves open to some extremely dangerous situations.”
In addition to the new ‘panic button,' the organization also called for enhanced online abuse legislation, and greater parental vigilance in the Internet use of children.
3 Comments
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Switch to the desktop site to post a comment.sirpeter | Oct 15, 2011, 09:57 PM EDT
Panic Button!! Click the button at anyone you don't like button.If they feel panic they don't need a button.Isn't panic a sign to have nothing to do with a person.Well it was in my day.
mcdolan | Oct 15, 2011, 11:50 AM EDT
Ideally, children should not be allowed on FB but the reality is that they are on the internet by any means and this panic button has merit. However, as with anything else, there is a big issue of the panic button be used to target disliked individuals without any basis and this would have to be looked at as a major drawback.
ktdearest | Oct 15, 2011, 10:32 AM EDT
Why are children allowed on Facebook in the first place? Parents should not allow children unsupervised internet usage.