Pupils at Fulneck School in Pudsey have helped the BBC launch a brand new website for children.
BBC Own It is a site specifically designed to empower children between the ages of nine and 12 years of age to have positive experiences on the internet, on mobile phones and other digital platforms, all of which have become a standard part of daily life for today’s youngsters.
The site was officially launched during the Children’s Global Media Summit 2017 in Manchester and included a short film featuring boys and girls in years nine and 10 at Fulneck talking about their own online experiences.
The film was shown to the audience, including pupils from Fulneck, ahead of a speech by Alice Webb, Director, BBC Children’s. It will also feature as part of the new website in coming weeks.
The key note speech at the summit was delivered by The Duke of Cambridge who recently established the Taskforce for the prevention of cyberbullying through his Royal Foundation.
Fulneck principal Deborah Newman said:
“It was a real honour to have been invited by the BBC to help launch the new website and all the children involved were a credit to both themselves and the school. The chance to meet the Duke and Duchess was definitely the icing on the cake for what has been an extremely rewarding exercise.
“The ways in which we communicate and interact are developing at a rapid rate in this fully connected world which is, in the main, a force for good. However when mobile technology and other devices are used incorrectly or without a full understanding of the consequences of misuse then problems can arise.
“At Fulneck we educate our children about appropriate behaviour in digital spaces and as such we endorse the key focus of the website which is to ensure that all experiences are as positive and exciting as possible and that any risk is minimized.”