Digital Citizenship must be taught...but where? how? when? by whom?

Dr Tanya Bryon is a clinical psychologist and head of the independent review into how we can help parents and their children get the best from new technologies while protecting children from inappropriate or potentially harmful material. 

On 6 September 2007, the U.K.Prime Minister asked Dr Tanya Byron  to conduct an independent review looking at the risks to children from exposure to potentially harmful or inappropriate material on the internet and in video games.

The Byron Review is about the needs of children and young people. It is about preserving their right to take the risks that form an inherent part of their development by enabling them to play video games and surf the net in a safe and informed way. 

• Safer Children in a Digital World: Full Report (PDF, 2756kb)
• Safer Children in a Digital World: Executive Summary (PDF, 110kb)
• Safer Children in a Digital World: A Summary for Children and Young People (PDF, 970kb)
• Safer Children in a Digital World: a summary for children and young people (126kb, PDF)
• There are some very interesting comments, drawings and presentations by children in this article. 
• For those who are time poor- Dr Tanya Byron's conclusion:
• "My Review has never been about stopping you from having fun or taking 
• advantage of  the many different opportunities in games and on the internet. 
• It is about making sure you can still do everything that you really enjoy, 
• in the safest possible environment and in ways  that are right for your age. 
• I just want to make sure that all the protections that are available in the real 
• world to keep you safe are present in your ‘virtual worlds’ too.
• 
  
• For example, when you go swimming in the real world, there will always be 
• a number of safety measures to stop you getting injured or drowning
• – there will be clear signs around the pool; arm bands for beginners; 
• shallow ends for younger children; and lifeguards on standby to assist. 
• This is just how it is online where websites are sometimes tailored for 
• younger users, so there is nothing inappropriate in them. So, they may
• check your age before they allow you on the  site, and instead of lifeguards
•  there may be  ‘moderators’ to keep checking everything is alright. And, just 
• as you are  taught how to swim, you will be taught by your parents and  
• other adults in your life how to stay safe online, especially if you find 
• yourself in difficult  digital waters.
• 
  
• We’re all encouraged to have balanced diets in order to grow 
• healthy and strong, and in  the sameway we should think about having 
• healthy and balanced media diets. This means  we should think about
•  the amount of time we spend playing video games and going on the internet 
• and make sure we still spend time with our  families and friends, 
• having fun in other ways. We need to make sure that you and your 
•  parents have all the support you need to make the most of these 
• new technologies with confidence, and be ‘NetSmart’ and  ‘GameSmart’.
•