Task Force Recommendations
for best practices for child online safety.

Recommendations for
Best Practices

PointSmart.ClickSafe., originally began in June 2007 as a comprehensive initiative introduced by the cable television industry to educate consumers and parents about online safety and the appropriate use of the Internet by children by emphasizing three key concepts: Control - online parental controls and setting rules for children about online use; Education - media literacy skills especially in an online environment; and Choice - helping children make the right choices online.

On June 10 2008, a summit under the PointSmart.ClickSafe. banner was convened in Washington, DC by the Internet KeepSafe Coalition (iKeepSafe) and Common Sense Media in partnership with Cable in the Classroom and the National Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCTA) with a goal of discussing and better understanding child online safety and to share best practices for keeping children safe and smart online. This day-long summit gathered together representatives from technology companies, child advocacy and parents' groups, educators, health researchers and policymakers, and was significant in that it marked the first time this particular cross section of online safety stakeholders came together for such a discussion.

Following the Summit, there was a 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.