Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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Question 447: To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality his plans to educate children about safe Internet use; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8069/12]

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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A wide range of actions are currently undertaken to educate children and young people about safer internet use. The Safer Internet Ireland (SII) project, which is funded by the EU's Safer Internet Programme is a consortium of industry, education, child welfare and government partners that provide Safer Internet awareness, hotline and helpline functions in the Republic of Ireland. The National Centre for Technology in Education (NCTE), ISPCC Childline, the National Parents Council (Primary), and the Internet Service Providers Association of Ireland are partners in the consortium. The project is coordinated by my Department's Office for Internet Safety (OIS) to develop national initiatives promoting safer use of electronic media and to enhance protection of the vulnerable, particularly children, against the downside of the Internet.

As part of the Safer Internet Ireland project, the NCTE, an Agency of the Department of Education and Skills, manages the Webwise initiative (www.webwise.ie) which is the Irish Internet Safety Awareness Centre. Webwise provides parents, teachers and children with educational resources, advice and information about potential dangers on the internet and empowers users to minimise or avoid these risks. NCTE also operates the www.watchyourspace.ie website which provides advice for young people on how to manage their online activities to avoid problems. ISPCC's Childline service receives funding from the project to support it in responding to contact from young people who may have encountered difficulties in their use of the internet and other technologies, including issues such as cyberbullying. Another element of the project involves funding to the National Parents Council (Primary) which operates a national confidential helpline for parents providing information and support if their children encounter issues on the internet, particularly cyberbullying. The National Parents Council also delivers internet safety workshops for parents in schools nationwide. These workshops, delivered by a network of qualified trainers, focus on strategies for improving communication between parents and children and negotiating boundaries to children's internet use.

Safer Internet Day which takes places early every February is part of a global drive to promote safer and more responsible use of online technology and mobile phones, especially amongst children and young people. This event is supported by the EU and has been celebrated since 2004 by a growing number of countries. Safer Internet Day 2012 took place on Tuesday 7 February 2012 and centred on the theme "Connecting generations and educating each other", where users young and old are encouraged to "discover the digital world together...safely"! A number of new initiatives targeting children were launched to mark Safer Internet Day 2012. The Webwise Primary School Programme was launched by my colleague, the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs on Safer Internet Day 2012. This is a programme developed by Webwise and Stay Safe for primary school teachers who wish to introduce internet safety into their teaching of the Social, Personal and Health Education curriculum.

The Garda Primary Schools Programme was first introduced in 1991 and teaches children sensible and responsible patterns of behaviour. The Programme consists of a series of presentations and discussions given to the school children by local Community Gardaí who are specially trained. To mark Safer Internet Day 2012, a new module of the Garda Primary School Programme entitled "Respectful Online Communication" was launched. The new module is targeted at 5th class children in primary schools and aims to address the social media element of the personal safety module of the Garda Schools Programme. It recognises the challenges which children and young people face in modern society, particularly when using new technologies. It aims not only to protect our children from predators or bullies but also to foster a sense of care and respect by them for others when online or when using mobile phones. To deliver the module, Gardaí will visit primary schools throughout the country to educate children about their responsibilities around their own behaviour when using the internet or mobile phones.

Working with NCTE's Webwise, almost 200 industry volunteers from Microsoft Ireland, UPC and O2 gave internet safety talks to over 15,000 pupils in schools across Ireland for Safer Internet Day (SID) 2012. The interactive presentation by industry volunteers encouraged children and their parents to 'Discover the digital world together...safely!'. Safer Internet Day (SID) talks took place in schools across the country throughout the month of February. The talks were given to children in senior primary classes – students in 4th, 5th and 6th class. The talks highlighted the safety issues that can arise from children using the Internet. All pupils attending a Safer Internet Day Talk in School were be given a Family eSafety Kit produced by UPC and Webwise which contains a variety of fun activities and stickers. The pack also contains a Parents' Guide which the children could bring home to help connect the generations.