Forty two per cent of teenagers questioned in a new BBC survey* said they or someone they knew had shared something online which they later regretted. The specially commissioned survey of 13-19 year-olds for BBC Radio 1 and BBC Radio 5 live also suggests that nearly a third of the young people who had ‘over-shared’ online believed that it had damaged their reputation.
Of those who claimed to be badly affected by the experience themselves, 58% said they fell out with friends and 26% said it had made them anxious and depressed.
The BBC’s Share Take Care campaign is part of its commitment to media literacy and online safety for young people. Working in partnership with The UK Safer Internet Centre to support Safer Internet Day, (Tuesday 7 February), the BBC’s campaign aims to raise awareness of the issues around safeguarding reputation online. It is designed to alert parents and young people to the risks of over-sharing information, photographs and video material online.
Empowering young people and parents with the skills and knowledge to take control and make informed choices about their online activity and potential consequences, the campaign will also encourage parents to foster a dialogue with their child and agree together how to use the technology safely and responsibly.
In the survey, 60% of the young people questioned did not know that personal information posted on the internet stays online forever and is available for others to see. Almost half (47%) admitted that they had visited a website that their parents would not approve of, while 38% said they had learnt most of what they knew about internet safety by themselves.
Saul Nassé, Controller of BBC Learning says: “The BBC’s Share Take Care campaign is part of BBC Learning’s commitment to media literacy. This partnership with The UK Safer Internet Centre is about helping everybody, from the CBeebies audience to the over 55s, giving them the skills and knowledge to make their online activity safer and protect their reputation on the web.”
Will Gardner, Chief Executive of the UK Safer Internet Centre, said: “We know from our work in schools that some parents are unsure of how to initiate and approach conversations with their children about what they are doing online, but Safer Internet Day aims to help make that easier. We really hope today is the day families and generations truly connect, and enjoy open dialogues about safe internet use.”
The BBC is running its campaign across BBC TV, radio networks, local radio and online to raise awareness of the issues surrounding protecting reputation and safety on the internet. Activity across BBC platforms includes:
On Tuesday 7 February, BBC Radio 1 and Radio 1Xtra presenters Scott Mills, Fearne Cotton, Greg James, Gemma Cairney and Tim Westwood will all be supporting the campaign during their shows with special features. Listeners will also be able to play a new online game in which their choices affect the presenters’ online reputations and throughout the day Newsbeat will highlight the issues around online safety. On Sunday 12 February Aled Haydn Jones will wrap up Share Take Care with The Surgery and a special show dedicated to cyberbullying, featuring contributions from famous names (BBC Radio 1, 9pm)
BBC Radio 5 live will have coverage of the campaign on Safer Internet Day.
Actress Meera Syal features in a short film for the BBC’s media literacy website and is supporting the Share Take Care campaign.
Says Meera: “Social networking sites are very popular with young people and can be creative and fun, but as a parent who has seen firsthand her own child being bullied online, I believe it is really important that adults understand these sites and are able to support their children and help them to stay safer online.
“The BBC has an amazing range of resources, advice and top tips about the internet and in particular advice about protecting your reputation online, which is why I am supporting Share Take Care.”
Good online behaviours will also be promoted by BBC Children’s. Through four specially commissioned online episodes for CBBC, the award-winning Horrible Histories uses its distinctive brand of humour to retell the story of Guy Fawkes and how a lack of understanding of privacy settings lead him to accidentally post details of the gunpowder plot on Thyspace; a saxon monk discovers that internet videos are forever, losing out on a promotion to Abbot; Lady Jane Grey is fooled by spam email and Mr Pooter is dismayed by what he finds online after lying about his age...
In two repeated episodes of CBBC’s Arthur being shown to support the campaign, Sue Ellen becomes obsessed with an internet game in Sue Ellen Gets Her Goose Cooked (Tuesday 7th February BBC One, 7.00am) and Muffy learns the hard way that some things are better kept private in Muffy and the Big Bad Blog, (Tuesday 7 February, BBC Two, 3.55pm).
And there is another chance to see the Newsround, Special Report: Caught in the Web Again which highlights the potential dangers which can be found online. (Tuesday 7 February, CBBC, 6.50pm)
The CBeebies website will also feature information on internet safety and a blog for adults.
BBC One’s regional current affairs series Inside Out highlights stories from around the UK including an investigation into the impact of social networking on adoptive families in the West of England. In the Midlands, former boxer Richie Woodhall investigates how identities and reputations are under attack online; in the North East Inside Out is asking just how vulnerable smart phones are to ‘hackers’ when surfing on the move? And in the North West one MP is calling for the law to be updated to reflect the growing phenomenon of ‘trolling’ and cyberbullying. (Monday 6th February, BBC One, 7.30pm).
For BBC News School Report, students from Harris City Academy, Crystal Palace interview Richard Allan, Facebook’s Head of Policy in the EU. Uma and Oliver, both aged 13, ask how the company deals with underage users and whether Facebook would ever launch a junior version. On Tuesday 7th February students from Chislehurst and Sidcup Grammar School will be reporting from the Safer Internet Day launch event at Westminster.
For advice, top tips for parents and other BBC learning resources go to www.bbc.co.uk/sharetakecare.
*A specially commissioned online survey for BBC Radio 1 and BBC Radio 5 live prepared for the BBC by ICM. Survey sample 1,000 13-19-year olds. Survey carried out January 2012.
Notes for Editors
• Safer Internet Day (SID) is a European initiative that is coordinated in the UK by Childnet International and Southwest Grid for Learning (who together with the Internet Watch Foundation form the UK Safer Internet Centre). Last year, SID was celebrated in over 70 countries around the world.
• SID will take place on Tuesday 7 February 2012 with a theme of ‘Connecting generations and educating each other’, and the slogan "Discover the digital World together safely!" A wide range of different organisations across the UK, including schools, get involved and support the day.
• In line with its commitment to promoting Media Literacy, the BBC is again working in partnership with Childnet to promote safe use of the internet by children and young people and is generating content to support SID activities.
• For more information about how to stay safe online ring the freephone BBC advice line 08000 150 950. Lines are open 8am to 10pm, 7 days a week.
• The specially commissioned Horrible Histories episodes will be available online from Tuesday 7 February at www.bbc.co.uk/CBBC.
• BBC News School Report is an annual project which gives 11-16 year-old students in the UK the chance to make their own news reports for a real audience. Pupils choose the stories and broadcast them for real on BBC programmes and on their school websites. Newsday this year is on Thursday March 15 2012 when we are expecting 1000 schools from around the UK to be involved in making the news with the BBC.
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The BBC’s Share Take Care campaign is about giving everybody the skills and knowledge to make their online activity safer and protect their reputation on the web."
