Parental involvement to reduce children’s risk-taking online; the Norwegian focus on Safer Internet Day 2009 It is a fact that knowledge is power, both for children and adults. However, knowledge is not the same as awareness. Research carried out by EU-kids Online, as well as other studies and surveys done by the Norwegian Media Authority, all conclude with the fact that children that get involved online at an early age, with the guidance and assistance of their parents / families, will show lower risk behaviour. That is why in Norway, the focus for SID 09, and indeed for the whole year, will be cyberbullying and parental involvement.

The E-safety booklet developed under the Insafe-banner has been a success in several European countries. We have now translated this into Norwegian, and it will be launched on Safer Internet Day 09. The toolkit will be distributed to all 2nd and 3rd graders nationwide – through their schools.

The event/ press conference for the day will take place in Oslo – where the showing of the TV-spot made for the European Commission will set the tone for why the Norwegian Media Authority feels the need to make this tool available for all families with younger children. Representatives for the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Children and Equality, as well as the Children’s Ombudsman will be present. In recent times, there have been numerous situations that have resulted in children and youth being teased or bullied by classmates and friends on various social networking sites, such as YouTube, Facebook and others. When those responsible are confronted, the answer is usually that they did not mean any harm – or that it was an “accident” that the clips/ pictures were publicised.

In Norway, 25% of youngsters between 8 and 18 say that they have experience of pictures or videoclips of them being published without their knowledge. 20% also admit to having published pictures/ videos of others without asking permission. Although these numbers don’t implicate bullying or harassment taking place, it represents an unfortunate culture that must be dealt with.

The Norwegian node wishes to reduce the gap between knowledge and awareness for both children and adults. Although children know how to use the tools provided online, they are not aware of the risks and consequences. In order to be most effective, it is important to have the cooperation of industry as well as public schools and the authorities involved with these.

We intend to saturate the Norwegian social networking sites with the TV-spot, to show that knowledge and awareness needs to be combined. Our well-educated youth are best served when they are treated with respect and their competence and resourcefulness are acknowledged. However, they also need to be made aware that there will be consequences for what they do online.