Helping parents and teachers protect children
Young people are often much more adept at using advanced features of mobile phones and other digital devices than adults. This means that many parents and teachers know less than their children about mobiles and online services. This makes it difficult for them to protect their children from unsuitable online content or bullying.
Our research of families in five European markets in 2007/08 confirmed this, and found that parents want clear information and easy access controls to help them protect their children from inappropriate content and contact.
Informing parents and teachers
Raising parents' awareness about the malicious use of mobile phones is important, so they can protect their children from bullies and from inappropriate contact in chatrooms and social networking sites.
Each of our operating companies publishes advice to parents, for example:
- Vodafone UK Parents' Guide
- Vodafone Ireland Guide for Parents
- Vodafone Italy advice website
- Vodafone Italy Parents' Guide
- Vodafone New Zealand Parents' Guide
- Vodafone Germany Parents’ Guide
We are also developing a Group consumer website on safe mobile use, with accompanying local websites in each of our markets.
Industry-wide education resource
We are leading a pan-industry European education initiative to support ICT industry compliance with the European Framework on Safer Mobile Use by Younger Teenagers and Children (see working with industry).
Vodafone worked with 13 other ICT industry partners and EUN Schoolnet – the online education organisation funded by the network of 28 Ministries of Education from across Europe – to develop an online resource to help teachers understand new mobile services and encourage their students to use them responsibly. Launched in April 2008, the TeachToday website provides a 'one-stop-shop' for teachers wanting to access consistent and frequently updated information about the latest developments in information technology.
Materials providing information and advice will become available on the website in a variety of formats including games, lesson plans and videos, available in Czech, English, French, German, Italian and Spanish. These provide practical advice on how teachers can encourage their students to use mobiles and the internet in a responsible way, and how to tackle issues that may arise, such as social networking sites and text bullying.
