Task Force Recommendations
for best practices for child online safety.

Recommendations for
Best Practices

On June 10 2008, representatives from technology companies, child advocacy and parents' groups, educators, health researchers and policymakers gathered for a summit in Washington, DC to better understand the risks to children and to share best practices for keeping them safe and smart online. The day-long event brought together leading stakeholders to discuss how to best create safe and positive online experiences for children and families. Convened by the Internet KeepSafe Coalition (iKeepSafe) and Common Sense Media in partnership with Cable in the Classroom and the National Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCTA), the PointSmart.ClickSafe. Summit was a component of the cable industry's comprehensive PointSmart.ClickSafe. online safety and media literacy initiative launched in June 2007.

The Summit was significant in that it marked the first time this particular cross section of online safety stakeholders was convened for such a discussion. (To view presentations and panel discussions from the summit, visit www.pscssummit.org. A summary of the key findings from the Summit's four panel discussions can be found in Appendix A - The PointSmart.ClickSafe. Summit.

Following the Summit, there was an industry consensus that additional work could and should be done to develop a set of “best” practice recommendations that could be implemented by providers of online content, applications and connectivity/access (“the Internet Industry”). To address these concerns, a diverse group of representatives of key stakeholder communities involved with children's online safety (see, Task Force Members) has been working since the Summit to identify and consider practices that could be recommended, and ultimately implemented by the Internet Industry. While other working groups had looked at these issues from various technical, business and safety perspectives and international task force groups have met on the protection of children on the Internet specifically, this Summit group primarily focused on internet safety practices in the domestic arena.

It is significant that this group discussing best practices is composed not only of members of the “Internet industry” - including Internet providers, content providers and other technology companies - who will be responsible for implementing best practices, but also includes the perspectives of other key groups concerned with online safety, including child advocates, educators and representatives of parents groups and public health communities. All of these stakeholders have a shared responsibility for children's online safety and can support the effective implementation of best practices.