ABSTRACT
This chapter considers how technological advances in ICT, mobile communications and social networking impact children and the people who work with them, and how practice has to adapt in order to ensure that children are safeguarded. The impact that communications technologies have on the early years workforce is now beginning to become clear. There have been many attempts to define or categorise the variety of online risk to children. The former British Educational Communications and Technology Agency (Becta, 2008) introduced the 'four Cs', content, contact, commerce and culture, which categorised specific areas of concern online. Cyberbullying is currently at the forefront of the public conscience. Cyberbullying is the use of mobile or online technology by a young person or group of people to cause intimidation, harassment or embarrassment to another young person. Ofcom is currently undertaking a three-year study designed to provide a small-scale, rich qualitative element to Ofcom's quantitative surveys of media literacy.
