Tags: What's Your Story Internet Safety , contest , online-safety , privacy , tips , safety-guide , #WYSContest_UK

Marlow, UK - May 16 2012 - When it comes to internet safety, who really does know the most? The results of a national competition reveal that the younger generation know more about staying safe online than perhaps we give them credit for. Sharing tips for using the internet has become more commonplace amongst young people and two young rappers from St Vincent’s School in North London have done just that – winning £5,000 and national recognition for their education video – the Websafe Rap.

Organised by internet security specialist Trend Micro, the ‘What’s your Story?’ competition helps teachers, parents, and young people to become more aware of internet safety, in a fun and engaging way, whilst encouraging them to act safely and responsibly online. Individuals and schools were asked to create and submit a short video, song, story, poem or drawing to share their advice to other young people about ‘How to be Web Safe’; and viewers voted in their droves to choose the short list, with the judging panel selecting the final winners for each category.

The winning video, by William and Lennox both aged 11, from St Vincent’s school near Mill Hill, was praised by the judges from Facebook, Yahoo, Childnet International, Diana Award, Cyber Champions and Get Safe Online for its simple, yet hard hitting message and appeal to all age ranges. The video gives suggestions and solutions for a variety of, unfortunately common online issues with a big injection of fun.

William said: “As soon as we heard about the competition, we knew it was going to be a challenge! E-Safety is such a serious topic, we had to think hard about what we could do to show others how they could be safe online. So we spoke with children our age and found out the big issues that affected them and drew up a plan on how we could advise them.” Lennox continued “We wanted to make a video that was unique and interesting to people our age. We enjoy rapping and had recently created some raps in Literacy, so we thought we’d use our talents to make a catchy rap to give people our age advice on how to stay safe online. We knew our rap would be something children would enjoy and more likely to listen to. We really enjoyed taking part in the competition!”

Other winners included:
7-10 years: Sharmila Thirumurugan - “The Four Wise Monkeys”
11-15 years: Jordan Bailey – “How to be web safe”
16+ years: Louise Yvonne Watson - “Danger! You are about to give your information to a stranger!"

“Keeping children safe online is paramount; from cyberbullying to viruses and the more publicised risks, it’s all about striking the right balance between allowing them to maintain a sense of independence and feeling able to ask for advice – and this competition allows them to do just that, while sharing their own experiences too. There’s plenty of knowledge to be shared between children and their friends – and William and Lennox have demonstrated just this, by identifying online safety issues, and giving sensible advice.” said Rik Ferguson, Director Security Research & Communication EMEA at Trend Micro

The video will be used by Trend Micro as part of its Internet Safety for Kids and Families programme, and made available for schools and organisations to use in educating others.

Supporting Quotes:

Tony Neate, CEO, Get Safe Online said: “New technologies keep us more connected than ever, however with recent research from Trend Micro citing a third of 11-15 year old children take more risks online than in real life, we need new ways to teach young people how to use the internet responsibly. This year, competition entries really showed the depth of young people’s grasp on both the benefits and risks of internet use, and we’re pleased William and Lennox’s ‘Web Safe Rap’ shows how to stay safe online in a fun way. Get Safe Online supports the ‘What’s Your Story’ competition as well as any endeavour that showcases top ways stay safe online.”

Luc Delany at Facebook said: “Nothing is more important to us at Facebook than the safety of those using the site. For young people, the internet has become a part of their everyday lives, a way to communicate with, and learn from their friends. For us this competition is key to educating future generations about the opportunities and risks of the internet and ultimately becoming more web savvy”
 

About Trend Micro
Trend Micro Incorporated (TYO: 4704;TSE: 4704), a global cloud security leader, creates a world safe for exchanging digital information with its Internet content security and threat management solutions for businesses and consumers. A pioneer in server security with over 20 years' experience, we deliver top-ranked client, server and cloud-based security that fits our customers' and partners' needs, stops new threats faster, and protects data in physical, virtualized and cloud environments. Powered by the industry-leading Trend Micro™ Smart Protection Network™ cloud computing security infrastructure, our products and services stop threats where they emerge – from the Internet. They are supported by 1,000+ threat intelligence experts around the globe.
Additional information about Trend Micro Incorporated and the products and services are available at TrendMicro.co.uk. Or follow our news on Twitter at @TrendMicroUK.