Parenting in a Digital World: The Best Internet Safety Resources

Parenting in a Digital World: The Best Internet Safety Resources

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internet safety resources
© Halfpoint/Shutterstock

When my little bundle of joy was put in my arms the first time, I remember thinking how unbelievably incredible he felt. And then, when we left the hospital and I no longer had nurses and doctors surrounding me, the panic set in. How in the world do I take care of this little being who is entirely dependent on me?

Now fast forward a few years as that little bundle of joy is now surfing the net, playing Minecraft, Googling information and the same thought occurs to me: How do I take care of this little being who needs my support and guidance?

© alexwhite/123RF
© alexwhite/123RF

Digital parenting is no different than “regular” parenting; and one of the first things that a parent does is memorize the contact information for emergency services. In the US, we think 911. In the UK, we think 999. And in France, we start with 15, 17 and 18 and then say “What the heck, I will just dial 112 and speak in English.”

Well, my Digital Parenting friends, this post contains all the contact information that you need in the event of a digital emergency in France, the UK and Belgium. And I hope that you NEVER EVER need them.

© photographee.eu/Shutterstock
© photographee.eu/Shutterstock

INTERNET SAFETY RESOURCES IN EUROPE

France

HELPLINE

Netecoute.fr: 0800 200 000 is a free, anonymous and confidential number available 9AM – 7PM during the week. A hotline is staffed by counselors available to speak to parents, teachers, students, children – anyone with an online issue. The free consultation is available via email, chat, Skype, or telephone.

HOTLINE

Pointducontact.net: provides online assistance against child abuse images and racial hate speech. To submit a report, you must contact them via an online contact form.

RESOURCES

e-Enfance: created in 2005 in France, e-Enfance is a non-profit organization, working in the field of children’s and young people safety on the Internet, mobile, video games.

Internet Sans Crainte: a government project created in France as part of the European Safer Internet Plus project, which has been in operation since 2005, under the remit of the Ministry of Higher Education and Research and the Secretary of State for the Digital Economy.

NB: The above websites for emergency services in France are in French only.

internet safety resources
© Rawpixel/Shutterstock

United Kingdom

HELPLINE

ChildLine: 0800 111 is a free, 24/7 helpline for children and young people. ChildLine is run by the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC).

HOTLINE

Internet Watch is the UK hotline for reporting child sexual abuse content hosted anywhere in the world, criminally obscene adult content hosted in the UK, and non-photographic child sexual abuse images hosted in the UK.

RESOURCES

UK Safer Internet Centre: provides advice on how to use the Internet and new technologies safely and responsibly.

Childnet International: a non-profit organization working with others to help make the Internet a fun and safe place for children.

The Parent Zone: provides information, help, advice, support and resources to parents, teachers, health professionals, police officers, e-safety officers and HR professionals – anyone who engages with parents.

Internet Matters: an independent, not-for-profit organisation to help parents keep their children safe online.

Internet Watch Foundation: a registered charity working with the internet industry, police and government to eliminate child abuse images.

Child Exploitation and Online Protection: a subset of the National Crime Agency, CEOP works with child protection partners across the UK and overseas to identify the main threats to children and coordinates activity against these threats to bring offenders to account. CEOP can also be used to report online radicalization of children.

internet safety resources
© Mathias Rosenthal/123RF

Belgium

HELPLINE

Child Focus helpline offers children, young people, parents and the general public advice on how to deal with harmful contacts, conduct and content. To facilitate contact with its diverse target groups, the services of the Child Focus Helpline are available via the website, by phone, SMS and email.

HOTLINE

Stop Child Porno fights against child abuse images on the internet and is a privileged partner of the Belgian police. The hotline can be reached via the website, by phone and by email.

RESOURCES

Child Focus offers children, parents, teachers and other professionals, advice and tips on how to avoid risks when using the internet and take advantage of its potential. All material is available in Dutch, French and occasionally also in German.

If you are in another European country, you can find your local helplines and hotlines on this listing available through the Better Internet for Kids portal, developed by European Schoolnet. And I can wholeheartedly vouch for European Schoolnet as I have been an eSafety Consultant for them for the past year and a half (wink).

INTERNET SAFETY RESOURCES IN NORTH AMERICA

internet safety resources

 United States

HELPLINES

CyberTipline.com: The CyberTipline is part of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children and operates in partnership with the FBI, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, U.S. Secret Service, military criminal investigative organizations, U.S. Department of Justice, Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force program, as well as other state and local law enforcement agencies.

IcanHelpline: is a new social media helpline for schools in California, which also has a fantastic page for emergency helplines and hotlines for a range of issues across the country.

End Revenge Porn: a helpline for victims of nonconsensual pornography.

Crash Override Network: is a crisis helpline, advocacy group and resource center for people who are experiencing online abuse.

There are many hotlines and helplines in the United States and depending on what state you are in, you may want to perform a Google search in your own state.

Canada

HELPLINE

Cyber Tip: is a helpline run by the Canadian Centre for Child Protection and a registered charitable organization dedicated to the personal safety of all children.

Be safe out there!

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Want to organize a talk around these or any issues other affecting children in the digital age for your parent group, school or organization? Please contact Elizabeth via Digital Parenting Consulting.com.  She is always happy to share her expertise to keep your children safe and you sane.

Elizabeth is an international speaker on Internet safety issues, leads parental workshops, writes on digital parenting, and coaches parents on best practices in the digital age. She is a consultant for the Council of Europe, Microsoft, UNICEF, Family Online Safety Institute, and e-Enfance, as well as a contributor to Internet Matters, UK Safer Internet Centre, and many other key actors in online child protection. She has several guides and workbooks on parenting in the digital age available on Amazon and she co-wrote several publications for the Council of Europe, including the Internet Literacy Handbook and the Digital Citizenship Education Handbook.

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