Safety first for kids on the net

Liz Butterfield says net safety has to be started 'at the very youngest ages'. Picture / Martin Sykes

Hector's World is not your typical new company looking to make a splash in cyberspace.

"It's not about making money," says managing director Liz Butterfield. "We want to make as many sales as possible but it has to be done in a way that achieves our ultimate educational goal: keeping young children safe when they are online."

The initiative is a spin-off of NetSafe (formerly the Internet Safety Group), which Butterfield helped to set up in 1998.

Hector Protector, to give him his full name, is an animated bottlenose dolphin; his "world" is a collection of high-quality educational resources to help keep children aged three to 10 safe when they are online.

Although the project is just a few months old, the character himself has already got some cyber miles under his belt, having first appeared in the NetSafe Kit for Schools a couple of years ago.

"At that point we were looking at how we could educate primary school children and thought it was best to do it with an animal. We did some research about the kind of New Zealand animal that we could use and came up with a dolphin."

Despite her name becoming synonymous with NetSafe and her dedication to the organisation recognised at the highest levels (she was made a Member of the Order of Merit and a Fellow of Internet New Zealand during her time there), Butterfield saw Hector as the perfect opportunity for her next challenge.

"It was a huge step [to leave NetSafe] but over time I really came to believe in what Hector's World is all about. That we have to start this education at the very youngest ages, just as we do with road and water safety.

"NetSafe also needed new energy and perspective, so I think it was a very positive change for us both."

Hector's World has already developed the Hector Safety Button, a desktop icon that kids can click with their mouse if they accidentally access inappropriate material - it covers the screen until an adult can deal with it. The software is available as a free download from www.hectorsworld.com.

The company's main focus, however, is a series of online cyber safety animations featuring Hector and a group of his undersea friends that it is producing in association with local company Inkspot Digital.

The plan is to eventually produce 32 episodes, each tackling a specific area of online safety, such as cyber-bullying or computer security, and each including associated teaching materials and a storybook that can be used by teachers and parents.

"There is certainly a lack of positive role models in our culture for safe and responsible use of ICT," says Butterfield.

"Who do children look to for an understanding of wise use of ICT, especially if their parents are not confident users? We hope that Hector's World will help them build their critical thinking skills, and their understanding of ethical online behaviour, allowing them to grow into confident and responsible e-citizens."

A five-minute pilot episode has already been completed and production is about to begin on the first set of four episodes, thanks largely to a $438,000 grant from the Community Partnership Fund of the Government's Digital Strategy.

The episodes will be free to download but DVDs will be available, as will other educational material for the classroom and home.

There's even talk of cuddly toys.

"Even a simple piece of merchandise like a Hector toy will help to reinforce messages for the child about how to be safe and secure online."

To reflect Hector's New Zealand roots, he'll soon be speaking te reo Maori - and other languages.

In fact, she's turned down approaches by other countries to adapt the concept, preferring to retain a consistent message. "Until starting on this project, I probably wouldn't have said it was critical to take it global. However, now I see that there's a need for a universal cyber safety message for very young children.

"We're finding Hector has universal appeal. The ocean is the perfect metaphor for communicating to children about the vastness of cyberspace - they get the vastness of the ocean."

Butterfield is negotiating with a channel partner to host the safety button on websites around the world, and in May moved into the Icehouse, an incubator programme in Auckland that helps fledgling enterprises with export potential.

"We're crossing the boundary from a non-profit into the commercial world and I don't have that background. So I've come to a place where I can get the best advice possible."

LIZ BUTTERFIELD

* Who: Managing director, Hector's World.

* Where: Icehouse ICT incubator, Parnell, Auckland.

* What: Developing tools and resources to promote online safety for children around the world.

* Why: "There is a lack of positive role models in our culture for safe and responsible use of ICT. We hope that Hector's World will help children build their critical thinking skills, and their understanding of ethical online behaviour, allowing them to grow into confident and responsible e-citizens."