BBC launches Own It site for kids
At the Children’s Global Media Summit in Manchester today, the BBC launched Own It, a new website full of fun and empowering tips, insight, stories and advice to help 9-12 year olds get the most out of their time online.
Published: 6 December 2017
We’re committed to reinventing our services for younger audiences. We want to help them get the most out of their digital lives, in safe, fun and creative ways. Own It does that brilliantly, and it’s just the start of many exciting new projects to come from our recent investment in children’s content and services.
It aims to help children develop the confidence and resilience to tackle the everyday challenges they face online - and is the first product to launch from the BBC’s biggest investment in children’s services in a generation, with an additional £34 million across the three years. Own It will be joined by other longer term projects from this investment over the coming years, including new apps, games and personal and participatory experiences for children of all ages.
Own It brings a child’s perspective of online life and the issues it throws up. It covers everything from online privacy and avoiding malware, through to dealing with everyday dilemmas children face online, as well as having fun. Quick links to charities and organisations like Childline, whose phone lines and online chat can provide urgent support should children need it, will also be available.
At launch there is range of content giving a taste of what’s to come. Own It will ramp up with new ideas and features over the coming months, as well as a big focus on events like Safer Internet Week in February:
- Interviews and opinions from BBC presenters Gemma Cairney and stars from Millie Inbetween giving some insight into their own online experiences
- A special Own It screening of CBBC hit programme, Creeped Out: Trolled, with Katie Thistleton during anti-bullying week. Katie speaks to kids about the show, the issues it raises and how to deal with cyberbullying
- Fun, topical videos from Team Own It - a group of vloggers including Lewys Ball, Saima Chowdhury, Scola Dondo, Eman Kellam and Parle Patel
- A unique collaboration between Own It, a group of school children, and former European and Scotland Slam Poetry champion MiKo Berry. Together, they’ll create a spoken word poem that charts the highs and lows of online life for children
Tony Hall, Director-General of the BBC, says: “We’re committed to reinventing our services for younger audiences. We want to help them get the most out of their digital lives, in safe, fun and creative ways. Own It does that brilliantly, and it’s just the start of many exciting new projects to come from our recent investment in children’s content and services.”
Alice Webb, Director, BBC Children's, says: “The internet is full of exciting opportunities for young people, but it also throws up complex emotional and practical challenges that they are not always equipped to deal with. Parents trust us to help children through these challenges and we’re working with exciting talent, as well as a hugely important network of partners, to help children feel empowered, informed and confident online.”
Own It will work with an advisory network of partners to help ensure it covers the wide range of topics and issues affecting children online. This includes academic institutions and charities like Childline, Childnet, The Child Exploitation and Online Protection Command, The Diana Award, Dr Sonia Livingstone OBE, Internet Matters, The Royal Foundation and Young Minds. Own It is also working with BBC Children in Need to speak to children directly about the issues they face and make sure the site can help children in a positive, proactive way.
IW
