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The
county-wide campaign has been developed following research from
'Tomorrow's Voice', a young citizen questionnaire supported by Wiltshire
Constabulary and co-ordinated by Wiltshire County Council's Youth
Development Service, which raised concerns over the potential dangers
of using chat rooms.
Over
2300 11-18 year olds responded to the questionnaire and the results
showed that:
•
80% of young people use the net, the vast majority accessing
it from home or school
• 7% of young people had agreed to meet up with someone
they'd met though a chat room without checking with their parents
first.
• 11% had been made to feel uncomfortable by 'chats'
they'd had with someone in a chat room
• 79% of young people went online at least once or twice
a week, primarily at home or school, for around 1-3 hours
'Who's
Web Wise?', initiated by Wiltshire Constabulary and supported by
Wiltshire County Council and Swindon Borough Council, aims to raise
awareness about the importance of staying safe in chat rooms. Targeting
11-18 year olds, the campaign will encourage young people to visit
www.wiltshire.police.uk to complete an on-line quiz.
The
quiz is both educational and informative and has the incentive of
a Fujitsu Siemens personal computer for the two winners, and for
both of their schools!
| 'Who's
Web Wise?' promotes the six point plan to staying safe in chat
rooms: |
|
1)
Don't give out any personal details such as your name or age,
photographs, or any other information that could be used to
identify you, such as information about your family, where
you live or the school you go to.
2) Don't take other people at face value - they may not be
who they seem to be.
3) Never arrange to meet someone you've only ever met on the
Internet without first telling an adult and getting their
permission. The first meeting place should always be in a
public place and you should take a responsible adult with
you.
4) Always stay in the public areas of a chat room where there
are other people around.
5) Don't open an attachment or downloaded files unless you
know and trust the person who has sent them.
6) Never respond directly to anything you find disturbing
- save it or print it, log off and tell an adult.
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If
you are 11-18 and live in Wiltshire, visit www.wiltshire.police.uk
to participate in the 'Who's Web Wise?' quiz.
For
help and advice on staying safe on the internet and in chat rooms
visit the wesbites listed in the righthand box.
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