The Alberta government has launched a new resource for parents and caregivers to teach them how to be Internet savvy and to identify the potential risks their children may be exposed to while online.

Internet Savvy is an online course that is broken into modules that focus on cyberbullying, social networking, online marketing to children and youth, gaming and sexual exploitation.

The modules explain how kids use the internet to play games, use chat and social media sites and make purchases online.

The course also talks about the technology involved to access the internet and offers practical tools and guidelines for responsible and safe surfing.

Online risks change based on the age of the child and there are modules to help parents gauge their child’s understanding of what they see online, identify the risks and set rules for online use.

“In today’s online society, with constant access to social media, it can be difficult for parents to know how to protect and support their children,” says Dave Hancock, Minister of Human Services. “Internet Savvy gives parents the tools to keep Alberta’s children safe from online predators.”

The site also offers some startling statistics about how kids are connecting online.

  • 1 in 4 teens post their personal thoughts on blogs
  • 1 in 20 high school students report gambling online for money
  • YouTube says 72 hours of videos are uploaded every minute with a billion video views per day
  • 3 in 4 teenage boys report viewing sexually explicit material online
  • 1 out of 3 youth report they have accepted an online friend request from someone they didn’t know
  • 60% of teens pretend to be someone else while they are online
  • 84% of parents believe their child will confide in them if they are being cyber bullied but only 8% actually do
  • 33% of parents have rules regarding how much time their kids spend online
  • More than half of young Canadians say they visit gaming sites and play online several times a week
  • 1 in 2 youth have an email account that their parents don’t know about

The Internet Savvy site was launched on Safer Internet Day and this year’s theme ‘Online Rights and Responsibilities’ stresses the importance of helping kids to use the internet safely.

The Internet Savvy course can be accessed as a web-based tool or downloaded as a PowerPoint for group presentations.

For more information, visit the Alberta’s Government’s Internet Savvy Training website.