Panic Button on Facebook – will it really help?

Recent conviction of Peter Chapman for the murder of 17-year-old Ashleigh Hall where use of Facebook was prominent to lure the victim. Many such incidents which keep on happening every few weeks where there is use of technology like social networking websites makes us think as to something should be done to stop this. This has had renewed the debate of having “panic button” kind of facility on Facebook.

It seems to be good idea, right now it cannot be judged how much or to what extent it will help to avoid such incidents but the idea is definitely worth trying. Even though it is fractionally help full it is worth to put it.

This also highlights the fact that it is very important to impart training to school goers in school itself about safety habits/tips on Internet. Apart from that it is very important that parents too go through such training where they can keep on guiding their kids for safety habits when using Internet and specially when they are on social networking web sites.

Quick Heal had done a educational initiative with similar thoughts by publishing a series of articles on Internet Safety in Educational Times (of Times of India) news paper which is distributed across all the major schools in India.

Here is the link to the series of articles by me on Internet Safety education initiative:
Times NIE articless

News about Panic Button on Facebook is here:
https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/8574727.stm