ITU Telecom World 2009 In Review * Ms Jaya Baloo, Practice Lead Unified Communications, Professional Services Nl, ME, A, Verizon Business , Netherlands * Mrs Kelly Richdale, VP International Sales & Managing Director International Opera-tions, L1 - Enterprise Access Division, United States SEC.4: BEST PRACTICES FOR CYBERSECURITY: WHAT SHOULD GOVERNMENTS BE DOING FOR PROTECTING CHILDREN ONLINE? The expansion of the Internet has included and often been led by younger us-ers, sometimes with little, if any, parental oversight or guidance on the dangers of cyberspace. In some developed countries, children get their first mobile phone at eight years of age or younger, allowing them in many cases uncon-trolled access not only to text and picture messaging but also to the Internet. The widespread availability of inexpensive web cams and the integration of higher definition cameras into mobile phones or other handheld devices have compounded the dangers or created new ones e.g. the practice of “sexting”; sending sexual images between children, which can be manipulated or inter-cepted or are posted on websites. Bullying, the indiscriminate use of “chat rooms” on-line, access to age-inappropriate content and exposure to sexual predators are among the better known and more worrying problems which have come in the wake of the emergence of the Internet into the mass con-sumer market. Key questions: –– What should government be doing to help make these technologies safer for children? –– What can governments do to increase children’s awareness of the issues, and how can they help children keep themselves safe? –– What role can governments play in reaching out to parents, guardians and educators to help them help their children? 129 Forum Summary Report