February 10, 2015
For Immediate Release
Helping to Better Protect Youth Online
Saanich Police Encourages Parents and Teachers to Access Important Resources on Safer Internet Day
Saanich, BC]: Young people are facing new risks online every day—from cyberbullying by their peers to extortion by adults. On this International Safer Internet Day, February 10, 2015, The Saanich Police Department is encouraging residents of Saanich to visit saferinternetday.ca for Internet safety resources and tools from the Canadian Centre for Child Protection.
“Keeping up with technology can sometimes be difficult” says Sgt. Steve Eassie, Public Information Officer, Saanich Police. “Understanding how that technology can be affecting our children can be even more difficult. Parents need to be aware of what their children are doing online”.
The Canadian Centre for Child Protection, a national charitable organization dedicated to the personal safety of all children and youth, offers a number of age-specific Internet safety resources. This year, the Canadian Centre is offering new cyberbullying activity books (What’s the Deal? for Grades 7/8 and It is a Big Deal for Grades 9/10) to help educate young people about healthy relationships, identifying safe adults and responding to unsafe situations. For parents/guardians, the Keeping your Teens Safe from Online Sexual Exploitation and Smartphone Safety booklet provide parents with information regarding the associated risks and increased vulnerability that teens have toward sexual exploitation, particularly on the Internet.
“In the last few years, the issue of youth exploitation and cyberbullying has become a growing concern for parents and school personnel across Canada,” says Signy Arnason, Director of Cybertip.ca. “By working together with policing agencies across Canada, we are broadening our reach and ensuring that parents and educators have access to the critical resources they need when addressing the collision between sexual exploitation, technology and bullying among peers.”
This year, the Canadian Centre, will be distributing approximately one million Internet safety materials to schools across Canada free of charge. Both parents and teachers alike can access age-specific Internet safety information by visiting saferinternetday.ca. Saanich Police also encourages parents and others to sign up for Cybertip.ca ALERTS – a notification system that offers vital information to the public concerning technology trends and new resources designed to increase children’s and teen’s personal safety. Visit Cybertip.ca to sign up today.
About the Canadian Centre for Child Protection: the Canadian Centre for Child Protection is a registered charitable organization dedicated to the personal safety of all children. Our goal is to reduce child victimization by providing national programs and services to the Canadian public. Learn more by visiting protectchildren.ca
Sgt. Steve Eassie #158