Young People Can Be Safer on Facebook With New App

Humberside Police are urging Facebook users across the East Riding to add a new application to make them safer online.

The UK’s national law enforcement agency dedicated to child protection – the Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre – and Facebook, the biggest social networking site, have joined forces to develop the initiative.

For the first time, it will give all Facebook users in the UK – and especially those aged between 13 – 18 years – direct access to CEOP’s advice and reporting centre – ClickCEOP – giving them the very latest help on online safety as well as a dedicated facility for reporting instances of suspected grooming or inappropriate sexual behaviour.

The access will be provided via an ‘app’ that users can add or bookmark so it appears on their profile, as not only a constant source of help and reassurance for them but also as a strong visual signal to their friends, family and others that they are in control online.

The app (Download Here) will be backed by a new CEOP profile – ClickCEOP – that will look to engage with young people to help raise the profile of online safety. The move is also being supported by an advertising campaign on Facebook that will encourage take up. This will include an automatic advert appearing on every profile of users aged between 13-18 years inviting them to add the app.

Detective Chief Superintendent Richard Kerman from Humberside Police said: “The internet is an amazing place where we can connect with each other and maintain regular communication, but we know that young users of social networking sites can be vulnerable. Today’s announcement by CEOP represents a significant step forward in keeping young people safer on Facebook and we would urge all Facebook users in Humberside to add this application.

“If you are a parent on Facebook, add the app and encourage your children to do so too. This will act as a visible deterrent to offenders and result in your child receiving regular online safety tips from CEOP, so you can feel reassured that they are better protected online.”

As well as adding the ClickCEOP app, Humberside Police offer the following advice to stay safe when using Facebook:

Make sure privacy settings are set to private so the only people who can see your page and information are your friends

Some people lie about who they are online so only add friends who you know in the real world

Block or delete people who upset you or send nasty messages

Tell a trusted adult if you have a concern about something that has happened to you online
Chief Inspector Richard Kirven, Neighbourhood Commander for The East Riding said: “I think the development of the Ceopwarning button will allow young people and children to access immediate help and advice if they become suspicious about activities carried out by those using Facebook.

“We will be promoting this new development through our close links with schools and communities and believe it will go a long way to making our young people safer and giving them easy access to report issues that concern them.”

Detective Inspector Kay Durrant from the East Riding Public Protection Unit added: “This is really good news as so many people use this website and we in Humberside Police are committed to protecting children so I would want to encourage people to use this app, and we will do anything and everything we can to help stop abuse”.

Jim Gamble, Chief Executive of the Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre said: “Today represents a huge step forward. By adding this app, Facebook users will have direct access to all the services that sit behind our ClickCEOP button and this should provide reassurance for the many parents whose teenage children use Facebook.

“We know from speaking to offenders that a visible deterrent could protect young people online. We urge all Facebook users not only to add the app, but also to bookmark it so that others can see that they’re in control online. Our dialogue with Facebook about adopting the ClickCEOP button is well documented – this is a good day for child protection.”

Joanna Shields, Facebook’s Vice President for EMEA said: “Nothing is more important than the safety of our users, which is why we have invested so much in making Facebook one of the safest places on the internet. There is no single silver bullet to making the internet safer but by joining forces with CEOP, we have developed a comprehensive solution which marries our expertise in technology with CEOP’s expertise in online safety.

“Together we have developed a new way of helping young people stays safe online and backed this with an awareness campaign to publicise it to young users. It is only through the constant and concerted effort of the industry, police, parents and young people themselves that we can all keep safe online – whether on Facebook or elsewhere.”

CEOP’s new Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/clickceop) will contain polls, news alerts and status updates. The page will look at topics that teenagers care about, such as celebrities, and exams and will link these subjects to questions about online safety. The CEOP page will also give users the option to add the new ClickCEOP application.



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