|
As a mum you think you know the dangers that kids face. Risks such as traffic, falling down stairs and the usual obvious household dangers. But it was not until I held an event with Micro-soft a couple of weeks ago that I realised how much more I need to know. Microsoft contacted all MPs to tell them about some promotional work they are doing to help parents understand the risks faced by children using the internet unsupervised. It seemed a good idea to ask them to come and talk to my constituents so I arranged two meet-ings for parents in Watford. We held the first in February with another due on March 9. Parents were briefed on the range of ways which children can now access the internet – mobile phones, computers at home and at friends, game stations – and the variety of sites that kids now use. It seems that the idea we can restrict access to particular sites through paren-tal controls is no longer the answer. Kids are remarkably sharp when it comes to finding a way to get to the sites you want them not to. So the message of the evening was to let parents know the types of sites that kids are using and the risks they face. If we understand what kids have access to then we can help them to minimise those risks by being aware of the information they give out on social networking sites. Just as we all know how to teach kids the survival skills for crossing the road because we won‟t always be there to hold their hands, the new territory of this technology requires similar survival skills. We all know that kids can be cruel to each other. They have often not developed the social skills to understand the impact of what they say and do. So the most worrying of the presentation was how bullying has shifted from the playground to other places such as text messages and the inter-net. Parents were shown a video about a boy who faced taunting and ridicule wherever he turned – messages to his phone, pictures posted on the internet and e-mails. But by taking action to block bullies from con-tact and by getting help through others he was able to cope with the problems. If you want more information on the presenta-tion by Microsoft then contact my office on 0207 2194910 or my website www.claire-ward.org.uk. No one can doubt that we must be due a gen-eral election. Leaflets and campaign material are flowing through our front doors while newspa-pers are full of the latest policy announcements from each of the parties. Although you may be a little weary of it al-ready and there are still weeks more to come, it is actually a very important activity. Here in Watford there has been a real row following my leaflets which have included the views of the Conservative MP for Hemel Hempstead for Mike Penning. I believe his comments as a shadow Health Minister put the future of our new Watford hos-pital at risk. I have no issue with an MP repre-senting the best interests of their constituents. It‟s what we should all do. But if you are also representing the views of your party nationally then what you say can have an impact. How we all vote at the next elec-tion is personal choice. But just like our kids having access to the internet, being informed of all the risks and con-sequences is the best way to keep us from dan-ger.
|