VANCOUVER – With almost of half of students between grades 4 and 11 owning a cellphone, according to a recent study, Canadian youth are more mobile, more connected, and more social than ever.
To help kids stay safe online, Telus announced it is hosting a live online discussion with experts tomorrow, February 11, to coincide with Safer Internet Day.
The live discussion, which takes place Tuesday at 1 p.m. EST, will centre around the findings of a recent study by MediaSmarts called Young Canadians in a Wired World. Matthew Johnson, MediaSmarts’ director of education, will discuss how the online behaviour and attitudes of young Canadians have changed over the past 10 years, and will answer participants’ questions about what can be done to help keep kids safe online.
According to the MediaSmarts study, girls are more likely than boys to agree with the statement that they “could be hurt by strangers” (82% compared to 62% of boys) and less likely to see the internet as a safe place (51% compared to 61% of boys).
Of the 5,436 students surveyed in 140 schools across Canada, the study found that among students between grades 4 and 6, 30% have a Facebook account and 16% have a Twitter account, even though both social of those media websites do not allow users under 13 years of age.
The live online discussion is part of the telco’s Telus WISE (Wise Internet and Smartphone Education) program, launched in October, which offers free seminars and online resources aimed at helping parents and youth better protect their personal information online. MediaSmarts is a founding partner of Telus WISE.
Safer Internet Day, created by a European organization called Insafe, is celebrated each February to promote safer and more responsible use of online technology and mobile phones, especially among children and young people across the world.
Click here to take part in the Telus online discussion; enter the event password “WISE123” and click “Join Now”. You can also follow the discussion on Tuesday on Twitter using @TELUS or #TELUSWISE.
