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Manx Telecom to educate kids on staying safe online

Picture credit: Manx Radio

The programme is being delivered with UK charity Childnet

Manx Telecom is launching a new online safety campaign for Year Six pupils across the Isle of Man.

It aims to equip children with the skills to navigate the risks of life on the internet as they prepare to move up to secondary school.

The company is running ten sessions in 16 primary schools, targeting 11-year-olds at what it describes as a crucial age for developing safe online habits.

Manx Telecom CEO, Gary Lamb says research from Ofcom showed online activity ‘really sort of kicks up when you sort of get to year six age’, making it ‘the optimal time to be able to do anything or do something with those pupils to help them’.

The sessions will focus on issues such as bullying, unkind behaviour and online criticism, as well as helping families manage access and time spent on the internet. 

Mr Lamb said Manx Telecom wants to play its part in making the Island ‘the best place it can be and the safest place it can be’:

The programme is being delivered in September and October in partnership with UK charity Childnet, which specialises in online safety and emerging digital threats.

Alongside the school visits, there will be a separate dedicated session for parents. 

Details of how to attend are available on the Manx Telecom website, with the company saying it wants to ensure ‘both children and parents have got what they need to protect our young people’.


 

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