Member Article

New Animation Programme Warns Of Internet Dangers

A programme which uses animation to teach children how to use the Internet safely has been launched by a community-based group of volunteers in the North East.

Research published by the London School of Economics (LSE) in July 2004 revealed that 57% of children using the Internet have come into contact with pornography, a third had received unwanted sexual or nasty comments and 46% said they had given out personal information.

The new interactive CD-Rom, titled Jamie’s Lucky Escape, tells the story of a young boy who puts himself at risk by agreeing to meet someone alone whom he talked to in an online chatroom. The person, who Jamie is led to believe is a girl of his own age, turns out to be a man. The five-minute animation has a happy ending – but warns youngsters about the dangers to be found on the Internet, and includes safety recommendations.

The education pack, designed for use by primary schoolteachers, has been created and produced by HEATS (Helping Educational Achievement Through Sport) and North Ormesby 2001, two social enterprise projects based in Middlesbrough. Children from St Alphonsus RC Primary School, Middlesbrough, provided voices for the characters of Jamie and his sister, Amy, while children from North Ormesby Primary School helped to design the CD-ROM labels.

Lawrie Coulthard, development director of HEATS, says: “Nine out of ten children use the Internet either to do homework, chat online with friends, e-mail or play games. It is an incredible tool, which children should be encouraged to use – but they should also be made more aware of the dangers at the earliest of ages.” The Amy and Jamie package will be introduced at the European Safer Internet Day Conference to be held at the Museum of London, London Wall, EC2Y 5HN, on Tuesday, 7th February, 2006.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .