The idea of the programme, says John Colley, the EMEA managing director of (ISC)², is to help secondary school children – typically in the age range of 11 to 14 – to understand the risks that face them when using the internet, as well as, of course, the benefits that the web and email can bring them.
"We've been undertaking this educational programme now for about four years, ever since the first ChildLine CDs were distributed by the charity of the same name", he said.
"Our volunteers have developed the ChildLine CD into a series of presentations, since this allows them to make their presentations at their own pace", he added.
According to Colley, since the programme started, more than 38 000 children have attended the Safe and Secure Online presentations around the world, with 15 000 children in the UK benefiting from the scheme.
Those figures, says Colley, are quite conservative, as since the educational scheme is volunteer-based, not all presentations are logged with (ISC)² headquarters.
The vast majority of children are in secondary school, he told Infosecurity, but added that some presenters have visited primary schools to help educate them on the issues of using the internet more securely.
"It's a difficult area when you are dealing with primary schoolkids, as the children are often too young to understand the issues involved. The general feedback from the teachers and parents, however, has been very positive", he said.
Under the updated Safe and Sound Online programme, Colley says that the scheme reflects the insights from the volunteers and teachers, as well as the children, who have been involved in the online security awareness sessions in the US, UK, and Hong Kong since its inception in 2006.
The programme, he added, has been enhanced to encourage skills and judgement, as well as awareness, with evidence showing most children are networking online, some as young as seven years of age.
Earlier this year, the (ISC)² undertook a survey of 299 children aged between 11 and 14 who participated in Safe and Secure Online.
They survey, says the security association, showed that the vast majority (89%) had access to the internet at home. Many were found to be using computers and laptops in their bedrooms late at night, meaning they are online when tired and unsupervised.
These figures, says Colley, are in line with Ofcom's analysis that 25% of 11-14 year olds have their own social networking profile.
"That's despite the fact that some sites need users to be 14 or even 16 years old to access the services. It shows that there is a definite need for security education amongst this age range", he said.