02 July 2010
Jersey child protection experts have added their weight to warnings about the increase in the number of indecent pictures of children being taken using webcams.
In its 2009-2010 annual review, released yesterday, the UK Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP) says it has seen a "notable increase" in still and moving abuse images captured via webcams.
CEOP has a working relationship with the Jersey Child Protection Committee, the NSPCC and Education, Sport and Culture.
The independent chair of the Jersey Child Protection Committee, Mike Taylor, warned about the inappropriate use of webcams.
He said “What are often seen as exciting and easy-to-use facilities on a computer can move very quickly from being a source of fun to a cause of misery and a real threat to children and young people.
“As parents we may not use these pieces of kit but we all need to be aware of the risk of exploitation of our children and talk to them about it.”
Chair of the Jersey Child Protection Committee’s e-safety sub-committee Nola Hopkins said “More than 50% of children between the ages of 5 and 7 with access to the internet use it while unsupervised by an adult.
“Although the internet is a wonderful tool it can be very dangerous if parents can not support their children.”
She encouraged parents interested in attending a workshop on e-safety to contact the JCPC.
JCPC contact details
gov.je