14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft has taken upon itself the role of educator when it comes down to safety practices that teenagers should be aware of when dealing with social media and the Internet. Revealing that no less than 29% of European teenagers have confronted cyberbullying, Microsoft announced efforts designed to share its knowledge of Internet safety with over 40,000 children in countries across Europe. The software giant is ready to commit a large number of its own employees to teach teenagers how to protect themselves against, and how to deal with bullying over the web.
“As a leading provider of social media services such as Windows Live and Xbox, Microsoft believes it is important to educate children and young people on how to have a fun, responsible and safe web experience. We are delighted to announce a new initiative that will see trained Microsoft employees go into schools across Europe to help children get to grips with the Internet and promote a safer world of social media. This initiative involves 22 European countries and 700 employees who will train over 40,000 children, parents and teachers,” said John Mangelaars, vice president, consumer and online, Microsoft EMEA.
The new program will be entirely based on volunteers, the company explained, and in the end it is meant to educate not only children, but also teachers and parent. While the company indicated that 69% of teenage Internet users in Europe are well aware of the risks associated with “strangers” over the web, the software giant emphasized that the number of victims of online bullying is growing. No less than 50% of teenagers in Norway, and 45% in Denmark have been bullied, while 90% of teenage Internet users in Italy and 87% in Span and Portugal claim to never have had any problems.
“Today’s ‘web generation’ are increasingly living out their lives in the digital arena. The advent of social media has helped our children become sophisticated web users, but they still need help and guidance on how to tackle emerging issues such as online bullying. The findings reveal worrying gaps in their Internet education,” Mangelaars added.
Microsoft also indicated that there was an increasing need for parents to monitor their children's activities online. At this point in time over 51% of teenagers are accessing the Internet with absolutely no form of parental supervision.
“These results are interesting given the recent report by the European Commission looking at parents and their attitudes to the Internet,” Mangelaars said. “It found that parents in the Nordic region were the least worried about their children being bullied online whereas those from the Mediterranean were the most. This suggests a gap between parental concern and the experiences of their children, and emphasizes the importance of online safety education for all.”