On-line safety week to focus on cyber-bullying

A series of talks at Calgary schools this week will focus on keeping students smart, safe and savvy when on-line.  

It's part of the Calgary Educational Partnership Foundation's Online Safety Week, which was launched Monday morning at the Southcentre Shopping Mall.

Deputy Police Chief Trevor Daroux says this awareness campaign is critical from a police perspective as it will focus on, among other things, cyber-bullying.

"We can't arrest our way out of this," Daroux tells 660News, calling it a crime of anonymity that has become widespread. "We have to be out talking to kids, and we have to educate parents and we have to educate kids, about what is appropriate and what isn't.  An event like this, where it raises that awareness -- even if it's one week -- we know the impact will be long-lasting."

Foundation Chair Wafa Kadri says internet safety should be a family affair with parents taking an active role in online safety.

"We" (as parents are) "going to make sure that we are monitoring their activity on the computer and tracking it, ensuring that they aren't getting into danger zones," says Kadri of parents' responsibilities.

"We have to follow these terms of use agreements on these different websites, and if you're not 13, you have to wait until you're 13 to get a Facebook profile," says cyber-crime specialist Constable Kathy MacDonald, who says families should respect minimum age requirements for social networking sites.  "It's easy enough to lie.  But we don't lie in the real world.  We shouldn't be lieing in the virtual world either."   

A recent survey found that 34 per cent of Grade 4 students have seen inappropriate pictures online.

City students will be bringing home contracts from school this week to sign with their parents.  It's an internet security policy of sorts for families.