BUSINESS
Group urges parents to 'Get with IT'
12-09-2005
by Deirdre McArdle
Parents concerned about their children's use of the internet and other new technologies are being urged to 'Get with IT' by Ireland's Internet Advisory Board.
The Minister for Children, Brian Lenihan, has launched the Internet Advisory Board's (IAB) awareness campaign, which is aimed at helping parents know more about the internet and digital age so that they can make sure their children are safe while surfing the web or using technologies such as mobile phones.
The IAB, with support from the Information Society Fund, decided to organise this three-week campaign in response to requests from schools and parents, according to Audrey Conlon, chairwoman of the IAB.
"We had received numerous requests to come and speak at schools around the country, as well as calls from parents looking for a guide to new technologies and the internet," said Conlon, speaking with ElectricNews.Net.
"In particular, parents who are not tech-literate wanted more information so that they could discuss these technologies with their children and set down rules for use of the internet or mobile phones for example," she added.
The initiative will feature a three-week long radio campaign and the IAB has also printed 10,000 copies of an information booklet, which explains, in non-technical terms, what peer-to-peer networks, MP3 players and iPods are, for example.
A study conducted in April by the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) indicated that that many parents lack the skills to guide and support their children's internet use and because of this they could be placing them on the wrong side of a digital divide.
Of the parents surveyed, 18 percent said they didn't know how to help their children use the internet safely. Many recognised their own responsibility, with 67 percent wanting better advice for parents, but 75 percent also wanted teaching guidance in schools.
The IAB campaign should give parents an introduction to the "lingo" associated with new technologies, according to Conlon, who said the guide can help parents "navigate the often confusing maze of new media technologies and tools which their children are using."
The booklet is available at libraries around the country, and parents can also request a copy through the freephone number 1800 24 25 95. Interested parties can also download the guide online via the IAB's website, the Data Protection Commission's website, Eircom's website and Barnardos' website, amongst others.
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