Policy and Guidelines for Internet Access and Use by Young People
1. Responsibility for Implementation
All staff, tutors and volunteers should be familiar with and will implement this policy.
Staff, tutors and volunteers:
- must be familiar with the guidelines and monitor young people's Internet use to ensure that these guidelines are not breached;
- will ensure that Young People are familiar with and conform to the following guidelines, and that the rules and responsibilities are implemented and upheld.
- must ensure young people are supervised and monitored when accessing the Internet.
- will ensure that each young person understands and signs two copies of the "Rules for Responsible Internet use" agreement prior to accessing the Internet. One copy should be returned to the Youth worker and filed; the other copy is for the young person to keep.
The Project Co-ordinator will ensure that all staff, tutors and volunteers are familiar with the Zoom In Policy for Internet Access and Use by Young People.
Zoom In's management committee will ensure that the Project Co-ordinator has implemented this policy and guidelines and review regularly with the Project Co-ordinator.
2. Control and Monitoring
Monitoring Process:
- Young people should only be allowed to access the Internet if they have understood and signed the "Rules for Responsible Internet Use" agreement.
- Young people should only be allowed access to the Internet within a supervised and observed environment. Young people's activities will be monitored.
- Zoom In staff, tutors and volunteers should ensure they discuss online personal safety issues with young people on a regular basis.
- During each access session a member of Zoom In staff, tutor or volunteer should be responsible for supervising access at any given time during that session.
Computers used for Internet access should be have virus protection software installed to block viruses and malware.
3. Acceptable Use and Legal Issues
Internet facilities enable young people to handle a very wide range of information, including personal data, linking to large numbers of computers and other individuals across the world.
In this relatively uncontrolled environment, it is particularly important that young people are aware of and conform to legal requirements.
Laws applying to Internet use include:
Guidelines for Young People for
Appropriate Internet Access and Use
These are guidelines are to be followed by all young people using the internet at Zoom In:
- Do not use a computer to harm other people or their work.
- Do not damage the computer or the network in any way.
- Do not download materials without permission or install any software (legal or illegal, shareware or freeware)
- Do not view, send, or display offensive messages or pictures.
- Do not waste printer ink and paper.
- Do not attempt to access another person’s folders, work or files.
- Do tell a member of Zoom In staff, your tutor or a volunteer if you are concerned about any materials on the computer.
- For your own safety, do not give out any personal information over the Internet or via email unless you have permission to do so from a member of Zoom In staff, your tutor or a volunteer.
- For your own safety, do not arrange to meet anyone who contacts you over the Internet or via email.
- Discuss with a member of Zoom In staff, your tutor or a volunteer to decide which chat rooms are okay to use.
