Tuesday 09 March 2010
Our message to social network providers : Adopt the button
The UK's national centre for protecting children, the Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre today said that all social networking providers need to adopt a one click button for children to get immediate police help.
‘CLICKCEOP’ was launched back in 2006 as an online button for young people to use whenever they are in danger online. It has already been adopted by hundreds of sites including MSN Live Messenger in the UK and AOL BEBO.
By clicking on the link, children can access a range of advice and guidance from organisations such as the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF), Childline, Beatbullying and GetSafeOnline, as well as CEOP's own specialist teams.
Children can also use the link to make reports to CEOP's specialist police teams with over 500 reports being received each month. Four a day are cases where a child is in immediate possible danger.
Jim Gamble is Chief Executive of the CEOP Centre and the lead for protecting children on the internet on behalf of the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO):
We have been asking social networking providers for too long to do the right thing. MSN set the trend to adopt the ‘button’ and AOL BEBO, as well as hundreds of others have stepped forward to help their young users.
"Since November 2009 when we launched the ‘button’ in AOL BEBO, we have carried out careful analysis to look at varying sites who haven’t adopted our service and the trends are worrying.
"267 reports were received about activity in Facebook for instance during 2009, of which 43% were cases of suspected grooming. However, 81% of those reports were made by people having to go to other sites to make the report.
"That cannot be right. The button is a deterrent to offenders and provides users with a choice of either going to their social network provider or to CEOP for a range of advice and help. Why would anyone want to speak to a service provider about illegal activity and not come straight to us so that action can be taken?
"Offenders have already seen the full force of what can be achieved when children click on the button and make a report. Social networking providers need to step up to the plate."
Jon Stoddart, Chief Constable of Durham Constabulary and ACPO lead for Homicide: “CEOP is part of the UK police family and I join in calling on social networking providers to adopt the CEOP button.
“One click gives children, young people, their carers and families direct access to a range of credible advice and help. It also gives them the ability to report their concerns about online grooming to CEOP or to their own local police force.”
CEOP is a member of the UK Council for Child Internet Safety (UKCCIS) and its advice and guidance service that lies behind the ‘button’ has been adopted as the central portal for helping keep children safe online within the UK.
