Paul Gillespie, former Police Officer and Vice Chair, Kids Internet Safety Alliance, embarks on cross-Canada tour to talk to parents and kids about staying safe online

A new Internet Safety study conducted by Microsoft Canada and Ipsos Reid provides new insight into the way children use the Internet, how they perceive the risks of sharing personal information online and how much parents understand about their childs online behaviour. Issues relating to privacy are of particular concern as 70 per cent of children age 10 to 14 believe the information they put online and send to friends is private and 37 per cent of girls and 22 per cent of boys in this age range have emailed their picture to someone.

Internationally-renowned online safety expert and former Police Officer, Paul Gillespie, will bring these results and practical tips and tricks to parents and children in five Canadian cities starting February 7 in Calgary, AB.

The Internet is an incredible resource and parents have done a great job discussing Internet safety with their children, said Paul Gillespie, former Police Officer and Vice Chair, Kids Internet Safety Alliance. To build on this progress its essential parents are involved in their childrens online activities and help them develop good judgment and critical thinking skills to deal with situations, information and people they encounter online.

Other important findings from the Microsoft Canada and Ipsos Reid survey relate to Internet use outside of the home. The study found that 85 per cent of children age 10 to 14 who have Internet access at home also have access to the Internet outside the home and that 15 per cent of these children visit websites that their parents consider off limits. These findings highlight the importance of open communication around Internet use, so that children can make informed decisions even when unsupervised.

Microsofts research with Ipsos Reid has consistently demonstrated that the key for safely navigating the Internet is greater communication between parents and their children, said Gavin Thompson, Director of Community Affairs, Microsoft Canada. We believe that educating families plays a significant role in ensuring that children have a positive experience while online, with that, we are pleased to launch TAKE BACK THE NET an Internet safety tour to help spread the word about best practices when using the Internet.

The Microsoft Canada-sponsored Internet safety tour called TAKE BACK THE NET will begin in Calgary on February 7 and will include stops in Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal and Ottawa in March and April. The presentation will be delivered by Paul Gillespie, former Police Officer and Vice Chair of the Kids Internet Safety Alliance (KINSA). Mr. Gillespies presentation will draw on the Ipsos-Reid study results and his years of personal experience to teach parents and children the few key things they need to do to keep safe online. For more information about this tour please visit www.microsoft.ca/onlinesafety.

Highlights from the survey of children age 10-14 with Internet access at home include:

Microsoft Canada recommends communicating with your children as often as possible and following three simple tips to make their Internet experience a positive one:

1. Work as a Team: Know and talk to your child about his or her Internet use. Approach Internet use like any other parenting issue open the dialogue, listen and ask lots of questions. Microsoft offers a contract that parents can fill out with their children to set ground rules about using the internet. It can be found at www.microsoft.com/athome/security/children/famwebrules.mspx.

2. Start Early: Start talking to your kids about the Internet as they approach school age, as this is when they will be exposed to computers in school. Do your children know what you consider to be appropriate and inappropriate content? Have you spoken with them about resources to turn to in the event that they feel uncomfortable or threatened while online?

3. Talk to your friends: Talk to your friends and neighbors about Internet Safety. Get their feedback and share your insights. By getting people talking about online safety we reduce the risks considerably.

The Microsoft Canada and Ipsos Reid report surveyed a nationally representative sample of 1,000 children from age 10 to 14 who have Internet access at home, and 600 parents of children age 10 to 14 who have Internet access at home. The study focused on Canadian childrens access to the Internet and their behaviours and experiences while online including stranger danger, cyber bullying and privacy issues.