"Most kids don’t realize that if they’re sending an image through a webcam to a friend of theirs, that with a click of a button that friend could be capturing the image and sending it to others"

Paul Gillespie

Press Coverage

'Safer Internet Day' in the works

680 News
February 6, 2007

by Allison Barnes

Toronto - Canada could soon join more than 40 countries in making the internet a safer place for young people.

Provincially, a motion has been introduced in the house of commons naming February 7th as “Safer Internet Day,” and the federal government is expected to follow suit.

The move comes as a U.S. study finds two-thirds of young people have been exposed to pornography online by accident.

Paul Gillespie, a retired Toronto Police detective, is vice-chair of the Kids Internet Safety Alliance and said webcams are very dangerous and should not be used by anyone under the age of at least 15.

“Most kids don’t realize that if they’re sending an image through a webcam to a friend of theirs, that with a click of a button that friend could be capturing the image and sending it to others,” he said.

He said many children accidentally view pornography through file-sharing software used to download music and images.

He said parents need to be completely aware of what their children are doing online.

Gillespie said filtering and blocking software only works with parental supervision and that seeing pornography by accident can have a big impact on children and teens.

Gillespie said computers should never be in bedrooms or private areas.

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