Internet Provision

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Internet Provision the Good, the Bad and the
UglyJanuary 30th 2004

• Julia Waldman
• University of Southampton

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• Context
• The themes in this presentation arise in part
  from an evaluation of a virtual social work
  service with which I have been involved in and
  the web searching done as part of the study
  results of the study will be published in the
  summer
• In December 2001 the NSPCC launched the UKs
  first online child protection support service
  called There4me.com, including the provision of
  real time online discussion with adult advisers
• Service uses qualified and trainee social work
  staff
• Provides information, advice, support and
  counselling to 12-16 year olds anonymously via a
  website
• Launched the service in the north of England
  first but the nature of internet searches and
  public access means that increasingly young
  people from all over UK and abroad can use the
  site

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Young people and the internet in the UK

• Between 1998 and April 2003 the proportion of
  households in the UK with internet access rose
  from 9 to 47 (source National Statistics online
  8/7/03)
• levels of internet access still relate very
  strongly to income and region (source ONS, Family
  Expenditure Survey, 2000)
• the presence of children in the household
  significantly boosts the likelihood of internet
  access (sic)
• 75 of users who gave feedback (n709) said they
  were accessing the site from a pc at home
• This evidence has implications for accessibility
  to services to some vulnerable young people

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• In 2001 Bill Clinton said that
• when he became president there were 50 websites
  available.
• When he left there were 350 million.
• (Guardian, 27/12 2001)
• Open market approach
• Limited regulation
• Sheffield university guidance for internal
  websites states that In general any type of
  information is acceptable as long as it is legal,
  decent and honest.

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• There4me places protection of users and content
  authenticity first
• Web site elements
• Static text information
• Ask Sam
• Message board
• 121 synchronous live chat between young people
  and advisers
• Weblinks
• A goodie but a bit ugly

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• I think there4me has got rid of some of my
  stresses and strains. If anything ever goes wrong
  I use the forum to talk to other people my age.
• I think talking to a computer is a lot easier
  than talking to a person. I don't know why. I
  think it might be the feeling that a computer
  won't g off and skit you behind your back.
• I know the advisers won't but if I talk to
  friends they might. I could talk to an adviser
  but they don't know me, and are not friends with
  me, but I use my computer a lot, so in some ways
  it is my friend.
• When I have talked to advisers they have helped
  me as best they can. Sometimes, they have solved
  my problem, other times they haven't but have
  give me knowledge about where to go, or who to
  talk to.

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• Too many sites, however, are NOT legal, decent
  and honest, up to date or user-friendly
• How do young people know how to tell the good
  from the bad and ugly?

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• Increasingly service providers think that a web
  site is a must have resource why? Is this
  always a help to young people?
• Dead wood
• National statutory youth organisations
  discussion forumOnlinee Survey    Nov 20 2003
  1016AM   
• our sexual rights    Nov 14 2003 957AM   
• Young People in Management- Do you pay lip
  service too?    Nov 3 2003 406PM
• Childrens Trusts    Nov 2 2003 436PM  
• Politics - Boring or what?    Oct 23 2003
  1037PM   
• A new and unique youth award..    Jun 23 2003
  545PM  
• Active Involvement of Children and Young People
  in decision making  Jun 16 2003
• Youth policy    Jun 3 2003 335PM   
• Seem to be 0 replies to any
• National voluntary youth organisation
  discussion form link led to an unavailable page

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• Too much information
• Why bother information
• Repeat material
• Graphics, flashes overload at the expense of
  content
• Hundreds of sites duplicating content
• Sites not owning up to a particular position on
  issues (eg. sexual health)

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• Search engines cannot discriminate
• How can we support young people in identifying
  the flowers from the weeds?
• Evaluation Criteria for websites
• Purpose
• Accessibility
• Authority
• Objectivity
• Appropriateness
• Currency
• Responsibility
• Clarity
• http//www.lesley.edu/library/guides/research/eval
  uating_web.html

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• Should providers be working together to avoid
  duplication and overlap?
• Are there elements of (unspoken) competition
  between providers?
• How can and should we regulate ourselves?
• How are young people shaping what happens?
• Is localisation an answer when access is global?

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• Further information
• NSPCC site www.there4me.com
• Our website with study information
• www.sws.soton.ac.uk/t4mstudy
• email jw_at_socsci.soton.ac.uk