A Mother Warns: "Be aware of the online dangers that children face."

The mother of a young girl abused by a teacher over MSN Messenger warned parents:

"Be aware of the online dangers that children face." 

The stark warning came as Ian Goy, of Thornton Clevelys, Lancashire, was jailed for 26 weeks for 'inciting an under-age girl to engage in sexual activitity, whilst in a position of trust'.  Goy had denied the charge but was found guilty by a jury in less than 3 hours.

MSN Messenger: Most common method of "CyberBullying"?

In a recent report by the charity BeatBullying, MSN Messenger (recently renamed "Windows Live Messenger") was revealed as the most common conduit for "Cyber Bullies" on the internet.  MSN Messenger is a type of software classified as "Instant Messaging" software whereby, as the name suggests, short messages can be exchanged instantly between users. 

MSN Messenger is a very common piece of software, as it comes pre-installed on all new Windows computers and is therefore instantly available for use.  In addition, it can also be found on some games consoles (such as Microsoft's Xbox 360) and modern mobile phones.