Childnet: Making it Safer for Young People to #UpgradeYourWorld

It can be a complex world for a child. They navigate their way around all sorts of challenges every day: from figuring out how to button their shirts, to deciding whether they should save or spend their pocket money. As the internet continues to connect more parts of our lives, the decisions our children have to make extend to the online world as well. Does this game on mum’s phone cost real money? What do I do when someone says something mean to me? Can I trust this stranger who says he also likes horses?

Childnet gives children the skills to make good decisions about these sorts of questions and more. Their mission is to work in partnership with others around the world to help make the internet a great and safe place for children. While they work directly with young people between age 3 and 18, a large part of their success comes through collaboration with parents ,carers and schools, as well as with corporate partners who help to extend Childnet’s message.

For a small organization, they manage to have quite a large impact, interacting directly with about 30,000 young people each year. Their campaign earlier this year, Safer Internet Day, reached 25% of children in the UK, and 1/3 of those reached changed something they were doing online as a result.

At the heart of all of Childnet’s work is the belief that when used properly the internet is a wonderfully positive tool for children and young people. This fits perfectly with Microsoft’s mission to empower every person to achieve more, and is one of the reasons we’ve partnered with Childnet as part of our global initiative, Upgrade Your World.

This year-long project celebrates people and organisations doing great things, including partnerships with 10 global and 100 local charities, 10 of which are in the UK. Each charity will receive $50,000 (roughly £33,000).

“We’re proud of the fact that we’ve been able to reach so many young people with our work,” says Will Gardner, CEO for Childnet. “But there are so many more to reach. Additionally, as young people begin to access the internet on an increasing number of devices, and are doing so at an earlier age, it makes the challenges of keeping them safe online more complex. That’s why being part of Upgrade Your World is so important.”

 To find out more about the work Childnet is doing to help make the internet a safe and amazing place for young people, visit their website.