Live webchat with Tanya Byron about internet safety, Wed 24 Feb, 1pm

[GeraldineMumsnet]

We're very pleased that Tanya Byron is our guest again. She'll be online from 1pm - 2pm this Wednesday, 24 Feb.

Tanya is a practising consultant in child and adolescent mental health who has two children of her own. She's the author of three books and a well-known broadcaster.

Ahead of the chat, Tanya has sent us this to post on her behalf:

I really enjoyed my last webchat on Mumsnet and found the the questions and insights really interesting.

I have recently been asked by Gordon Brown to review internet safety since my Safer Children in a Digital World report (the Byron review) in 2008.

To ensure my review takes in parents' views, I'm really keen to get Mumsnetters' perspectives on both the opportunities that you think the internet gives your children and also the risks you've encountered.

I'd like to chat about anything to do with internet safety, but to get your thoughts flowing, a few starting points could be:

Is there enough information which is easily accessible about internet safety?

Where do you get your information and advice on internet safety?

How good are schools at educating children about internet safety?

What do you think about internet safety in the context of videogames, games consoles and mobile phones?

Look forward to chatting to you on the 24th!

Spotted a full-page ad in The Times today for Click Clever, Click Safe, so momentum seems to be gathering behind it - which can only be good. Will be dropping it into conversation with friends as well as something worthwhile looking at.

sometimes they do!

that time they didn't!

It's because you have to wrap them around each word individually

so sometimes they do won't work but
sometimes they do
would work - if I removed the gaps between the ^ and the word.

sometimes they do

I see. Looks mad when you're typing. Cheers heQet

giving it a go

giving it a go

God what a dork!!!

giving it another go !!!!!

Hi

We have just experienced every parents worst nightmare. Our eldest daughter turned 16 just 2 weeks ago and last week we got up to find her gone leaving just a letter full of made up journey she was taking. By luck one of her siblings told us she had been parading in states of undress on the webcam when we were not in the house so we reported her missing. Police located her quickly but she was already on a plane to UK. By good fortune the police got her at Heathrow and arrested the man she was meeting. She hates us at the moment and now social workers are trying to unravel the mess.
It seems she had been chatting to him for 2 years. I had caught her in the beginning and had explained about the dangers, had then checked emails and kept reminding her about a man some 20 years older than her and it seemed to sink in and she assured me that she had not contacted him again. As parents we feel we failed her but these people are so clever that they know how to hide their tracks and it is scary. So to any parent out there be extra vigilant don't be too trusting of your child as we were.We hope we can salvage her back onto the right track but if this blog helps protect just one other child then some good has come and if anyone else can give us advice asto how we can help her get through this then please let us know.