Secure Internet

The Internet has a lot of benefits, but also has its less attractive side that we, together with other parties, wish to prevent or combat. Although KPN cannot be held liable for the content put on the Internet, we can indeed harness our knowledge and experience to fight illegal content on the Internet. We do this by working actively within the Internet Security Platform in which the Dutch Ministry of Safety and Justice and the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Innovation also participate.

KPN is the main sponsor of “Mijn Kind Online”. This foundation was established in 2004 by KPN and “Ouders Online”, the largest community in the Netherlands for parents on the internet. This foundation provides knowledge and recommendations about young people and the new media. Its objective is to help people understand their possibilities and to promote responsible use. Mijn Kind Online aims to improve the quality of online media for children and to help teachers and parents to become more media-aware.

Hi, our young people's brand, devoted especial attention in 2011 to secure internet usage and developed a special information package for schools. There are special pages on Hi's website devoted to secure Internet usage. KPN promotes amongst customers the children's web browser MyBee, a free program that allows parents to let their children surf the net safely. This browser was downloaded almost 70,000 times in 2011.

Children and social media

Children show who they are on Hyves or Facebook by choosing a personal background and adding nice photos and video clips to their profile. On Habbo Hotel you can be whoever you want in your Habbo character. On goSupermodel girls can create their own character and thereby their ‘ideal me’. Hyves, Facebook and MSN, as well as the virtual worlds of goSupermodel and Habbo, are ideal places to meet like-minded people. You can find fans of the same music, games or sport as you, even though they may live hundreds of kilometers away.

Children are generally less afraid to be themselves on the Internet than in real life. They use their Internet friends to share insecurities that they keep hidden at school.
Many parents fear that social networking sites are detrimental to friendships in the real world. But this appears not to be the case. Children who are very social on the Internet are usually very social in real life too. But children who normally have difficulty with social contacts are sometimes able to connect better with others on the Internet. After all, a child’s looks and ability to chat play no role online.

There are also privacy risks that children cannot see. They may post slightly too revealing vacation snaps and their telephone number, without being aware of the dangers. Talk about it together and teach your child to be discerning. Your child can (with your help) protect his/her profile and ensure that online activities are visible only to ‘friends’ or ‘friends of friends’. If you wouldn’t disclose personal details at a ‘real’ party, why would you do it online?

Nothing but fun?
You can come up against all sorts of problems on the Internet. For instance you could be subjected to Internet bullying, or nasty photos or video clips of you could be posted against your will. You could also find discriminatory messages or your account might be hacked. Meldknop.nl can help you with information and advice. Meldknop.nl is an initiative of Digibewust and is supported by the police.

Providing a simple report button for youngsters all over Europe is one of the ambitions of a coalition of companies, KPN among them, and the European Commission to make the Internet safer for children. The coalition started up in December 2011 with EU Commissioner Kroes as chair.