This document provides information and guidance from the Ministry of Interior Child Protection Centre about keeping children safe online. It discusses Safer Internet Day, the risks children face such as cyberbullying, grooming, exposure to inappropriate content, and loss of privacy. It offers tips for parents, such as using parental controls, communicating openly with children, and supervising their internet use and online friendships. The overall message is the importance of educating children and parents about navigating the online world safely.

2. MINISTRY OF INTERIOR
CHILD PROTECTION CENTRE
(MoI-CPC)
SAFER INTERNET DAY
11 FEBRUARY 2014
PARENTS KEEP YOUR CHILDREN SAFE

3. WHAT IS SAFER INTERNET DAY?
 Global event that drives safety initiatives and awareness
on the Internet.
 Organized by INSAFE,
Commission.
guided by the
European
 Allows entities to learn about the online risks and
engage in activities to promote online safety for
children.

4. WHY COMMEMORATE SAFER INTERNET DAY?
The Safer Internet day allows us to:
 highlight the need to address the various situations that
children are exposed to while online;
 understand the risks involved;
 build knowledge on how to navigate the online space
safely; and
 protect children from becoming victims of abuse.

5. HOW MANY CHILDREN ARE ONLINE?
 Globally children are spending an average of 1.6 hours
every day online
 62% of children worldwide have had a negative online
experience yet only 45% of parents realize this
 51% of children say they download computer games
without supervision
 The United Arab Emirates had 5,859,118 Internet users as
of June 30, 2012; which equates to 70.9% of the
population.

6. WHAT CHILDREN DO ONLINE?
 83% Play Games
 73% Surf the Internet
 71% Do School work
 67% Talk to Friends
Source: Norton Online Family Report Global Insights into Family Life Online 2010

7. WHAT ARE ONLINE RISKS FOR CHILDREN?
 Cyberbullying
 Grooming by online offenders
 Exposure to inappropriate content
 Losing control over their personal information
 Technical and PC related dangers (virus, hacking, stealing
of information etc.)

8. WHAT IS CYBER BULLYING?
 Cyber bullying is bullying that takes place using electronic
technology.
 Electronic technology includes devices and equipment such
as cell phones, computers, and tablets as well as
communication tools including social media sites, text
messages, chat, and websites.

9. WHAT IS CYBER BULLYING?
 Examples of cyber bullying include mean text messages or
emails, rumours sent by email or posted on social
networking sites, and embarrassing pictures, videos,
websites, or fake profiles.
 21% of 8 to 11 year olds have been deliberately targeted,
threatened or humiliated by an individual or group through
the use of mobile phone or the internet.

10. WHY CYBER BULLYING IS DIFFERENT?
 Children who are being cyber bullied are often bullied in
person as well.
 Cyber bullying can happen 24 hours a day, 7 days a week,
and reach a child even when he or she is alone.

11. WHY CYBER BULLYING IS DIFFERENT?
 Cyber bullying messages and images can be posted
anonymously and distributed quickly to a very wide
audience.
 It can be difficult and sometimes impossible to trace the
source.
 Deleting inappropriate or harassing messages, texts, and
pictures is extremely difficult after they have been posted
or sent.

12. WHAT CAN PARENTS DO?
 Offer reassurance and support.
 Tell a child that if they are ever bullied, then they must
always keep evidence.
 Block the bullies.
 Report any bullying content to the website it’s hosted
on.

13. WHAT IS ONLINE GROOMING?
 Grooming is a process used to prepare a child for sexual
abuse.
 Grooming can take many different forms, from one off
contact which may include sexual advances, to a series of
events over time.
 An offender’s aim when grooming is to gain access to a
child and build a relationship with that child.

14. WHAT IS ONLINE GROOMING?
 May start with an adult scanning websites to identify a
vulnerable child or befriending a child.
 Online it is easier for an offender to lie and gain one to one
contact with a child, for example through a social
networking or gaming site.

15. WHAT ARE SIGNS OF ONLINE GROOMING?
 Child’s unhealthy or heightened level of internet usage
 Child becomes more secretive about who they are talking
to
 Child engaging in any sexual behaviour online or via text,
chat or webcam
 Child received any unexplained new electronic devices or
gifts

16. WHAT CAN PARENTS DO?
 Talk to your child about who they are friends with and how
to manage these online relationships.
 Suggest meeting their online friend’s offline and they must
take a parent or a trusted adult with them to the meeting.
 Set clear boundaries, tell them why parents are concerned
for their safety.

17. WHAT IS EXPOSURE TO INAPPROPRIATE CONTENT?
 Range of things online that might upset children and affect
what should be a healthy online experience.
 Inappropriate content online includes pornographic
content, pro eating disorders, gambling sites, sites that
promote racism, advertise for sex or even provide detailed
instructions for drug making or lock picking etc.

18. WHAT CAN PARENTS DO?
 Use parental controls packages to block access to adult
websites, such as pornographic and gambling sites.
 Use age appropriate controls on the sites children use to
reduce the risk.
 Have conversation with your child about content online.
 Ask children to tell if they see anything that makes them
feel uncomfortable or upset to seek parents support.

19. WHAT IS LOSING CONTROL OVER PERSONAL INFORMATION?
 Pictures and videos can be copied, shared and spread at
great speed.
 Some young people have posted or sent sexualised
pictures of themselves to a friend and found them shared
further.
 These materials can then be used against the child for
various reasons.

20. WHAT IS LOSING CONTROL OVER PERSONAL INFORMATION?
 Bullying – young people can be bullied by others about the
content of pictures
 Distress – knowing that other people that they do not
know are looking at personal pictures can be very upsetting

21. WHAT IS LOSING CONTROL OVER PERSONAL INFORMATION?
 Blackmail – if the images end up in the hands of someone
with bad intentions, they may be used to attempt to
manipulate the child.
 Reputation – once something is online it is very difficult to
remove. Therefore images can become part of a young
person’s ‘digital footprint’ and potentially affect them in
the long-term, such as if someone searches their name as
part of a job interview.

22. WHAT CAN PARENTS DO?
 Talk to your children about what they’re up to online.
 Set boundaries in the online world just as you would in
the real world.
 Keep all equipment that connects to the internet in a
family space.
 Know what connects to the internet and how.

23. WHAT ARE TECHNICAL AND PC RELATED DANGERS?
WEBCAM ABUSE – Online sexual extortion
 An offender makes contact with a young person online.
 Tricks the young person into sending them an indecent
picture, appearing naked or performing sexual acts on
webcam.
 The offender records the webcam footage.
 The offender threaten to share the video if they don’t
perform more sexual acts.

24. WHAT ARE TECHNICAL AND PC RELATED DANGERS?
VIRUSES AND SPYWARE
 Viruses and spyware can cause very serious consequences
including: Identity theft; fraud; deletion, theft and
corruption of data

25. WHAT CAN PARENTS DO?
 Use parental controls on devices that link to the internet,
such as the TV, laptops, computers, and mobile phones.
 Reach an agreement - set boundaries with their child
about what they can and can’t do online is to set an
agreement with them.

26. "If you see something wrong, you should
correct it with your hand and if you are
unable to, then speak out against it and
if you cannot do that, then feel that it is
wrong in your heart."
Prophet Mohammed