Partner Article

SCC gives internet advice to Birmingham schools

Youngsters in Birmingham are learning about internet safety after 1,000 books were delivered to schools in the city by Europe’s largest independent IT company.

Students aged 10 and 11 have been targeted at 300 primary schools across the city after SCC donated the ‘Caught in the Web’ books which promote the importance of children staying safe on social networking sites.

SCC – whose UK headquarters are in Birmingham – has distributed the books to teach the schoolchildren the significance of privacy settings on profile pages and to highlight the potential risks they could be divulging.

Dean Lewis, Head of Risk and Review at SCC, said the company had sponsored the books because of the importance of teaching primary school pupils about internet safety and to discuss the issue of cyber bullying.

He said: “We are a family-run business with a family ethos and many people in our organisation have children and, as a technology business, we’re all aware of the dangers of the internet and feel we have a social responsibility to promote online safety messages.

“The ‘Caught in the Web’ books are a character-based story which illustrates being safe online and not revealing too much of your identity in forums and it is aimed at 10 and 11-year-olds who are starting to get an interest in the web which will only increase when they start secondary school.

“It is also important parents and teachers become informed themselves to understand not only the potential dangers but to be aware of the kind of material which is available on the internet and how social media works since new sites are coming on board on a regular basis. Understanding the web means they can help to guide and protect their children.”

SCC is also sponsoring the Internet Safety and Cyber Bullying Project category for a third successive year in the Community Education Awards 2014 in association with The Police Community Clubs of Great Britain to reward assignments which schools have put together based on internet safety.

Dean added: “We think it is important to be supportive of these awards since it encourages children to find out more about a subject which is becoming an increasing part of their lives.

“We will be involved in the judging and in the past there have been some wonderful, creative contributions which I am sure we will see once again.

“It is important that we keep re-iterating the message that the web is a positive resource despite having some potential pitfalls and these awards give students the opportunity to show how they have used innovative campaigns to educate the wider community as well as themselves.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by SCC .