FOUR web-savvy Exmouth pupils have taken part in a national scheme aimed at teaching people how to use the internet safely.

FOUR web-savvy Exmouth pupils have taken part in a national scheme aimed at teaching people how to use the internet safely.

Community college students Joe young, Sam Laskey, Lewis Philips and Daniel Fulls, visited Microsoft’s offices in London this week to discuss how to use the web safely and pitch their ideas to a team of internet experts.

Their talk, to mark Safer Internet Day, formed part of a two day event, hosted by the UK Safer Internet Centre.

Over the two days, a total of 40 youth delegates, aged between 15 and 18, delivered their ideas to industry experts from Facebook and BT.

This was the eighth annual Safer Internet Day and is marked in more than 65 countries worldwide.

The theme, this year, was ‘virtual lives’ which included messages for parents and young people to recognise that internet safety also applies to gaming.

Student Joe Young, speaking before the event, said: “We are really looking forward to sharing our ideas about how to reach out to other users our age about how to stay safe online.

“This is a great chance to have our say and be heard by the people behind the services that we use everyday and to tell them how we are using these services and what else we think needs to be done to help keep us safe online.”

David Wright, from the Safer Internet Centre, said: “Online gaming is hugely popular with children and young people.

“Even though gaming is fun and encourages teamwork, it can also have risks such as privacy invasion and exposure to inappropriate material.

“Safety advice should therefore also be applied to the gaming environment.”