LONDON, February 26 /PRNewswire/ --     A new report published today by Intuitive Media, provider of safe online
learning communities for children, reveals clear demands on the Prime
Minister to do more to listen to children; keep children safe; stop bullying;
cut down gun and knife crime and ban drugs, alcohol and smoking.

Over 6,000 children, aged six to 14 years contributed to the report
calling for extra policing and surveillance in parks and other places where
they play and on their walk to and from school. One of the most popular
suggestions from the children was an emergency number that they can call
anytime they felt unsafe (63%) or more specifically a police helpline on
their mobile (59%).

The children, all members of the government approved online learning
communities, SuperClubsPLUS.com and GoldStarCafe.net took part in research
asking what made them feel happy and safe in the real world and in their new
online worlds were also invited to tell the Government how their lives could
be improved. The children also revealed what concerns they would raise with
the Prime Minister if they found themselves alone in a lift with him for 30
seconds.

Children said if they felt the streets were safe, 83 per cent of them
would walk to school every day and if parks were safer 78 per cent of
children would play out more. Nearly two thirds (60%) suggested using signs
to either warn children a place is safe or unsafe to play.

The report reveals children's biggest concern to be violence (54%),
street crime (53%) and half of them (51%) worry about their parents arguing
or divorcing. Nearly half, (48%) worry about their own health, and in
recession-hit Britain, 40 per cent worry about being poor.

Overall, the report shows that most children (82%) do feel happy and safe
most of the time and that the love of their family and friends is the most
important source of happiness. However, they also said that boredom is the
biggest downer (74%) along with adults who expect too much of them and having
to work too hard. They want more freedom to play (52%), relax (49%) and
pursue their hobbies (65%) and they want more time to spend in their online
communities being creative (60%).

When looking at children's everyday online behaviour, the report reveals
there is still significant leeway for them to stray into risky behaviour
online with over a third of children (38%) using their computers alone in
their rooms giving them the opportunity to surf the web unsupervised and take
part in private online conversations without their parents' knowledge.

And, despite most children (80%) claiming they do understand the risk of
giving personal contact details out to strangers online there is still a
minority (15%), that don't. In addition, 15 per cent of children said they
wouldn't tell their parents, teachers or friends if someone they met online
came to their house (14%) phoned them (16%) or asked for their contact
details (17%).

Key Findings

    - 75% of children want government to cut down on gun and knife crime.

    - 67% called for a ban on drinking and smoking for under 21s.

    - 73% Want a halt to drugs trafficking and 60% want an end to poverty so
      people don't need to steal.

    - 14% of children said they don't feel safe in their own homes

    - 52% want police patrolling parks and places where kids go and 44% want
      patrols to protect them on the way to school.

    - 63% want a number they can call if they feel unsafe

    - 78% would play in parks if they were safer for kids

    - Only one in ten (11%) of children are carefree citing violence (54%)
      and street crime (53%) as key concerns for the majority followed 
      closely by worrying about wars (51%)

    - 60% say they have to work too hard and 44% say adults expect too much
      of them

    - 48% of children worry about their health

    - 42% of children are concerned about global warming and 33% worry about
      world poverty

    - Over 80% of children recognise the risk of giving out personal details
      online including personal contact details or telling where they play

    - 74% of children blame boredom as the cause of their unhappiness with
      more than half of children wanting more time to play and relax

Happy and Safe - UK Children's Happiness & Safety, published March 2009,
Intuitive Media Research Services http://www.intuitivemedia.com

Notes to Editors:

Happy & Safe published by Intuitive Media Research Services. The report
contains research amongst 6398 children drawn from the membership base of its
protected learning communities, which provide for over 150,000 UK children
aged six - 14 years, and over 17,000 of their teachers.

A number of children's quotes to the Prime Minister along with anecdotal
quotes on what children would like to see the Government address are
available in the full report.

Regional comment from teachers and children who participated in the
research is available on request.

Interviews available with report authors/contributors:

- Professor Karen Pine BSc (Hons) 1st class; PhD (Herts), Professor of
      Developmental Psychology (co-author of The No Diet Diet and author of
      Sheconomics)

    - Robert Hart, co-founder and CEO, Intuitive Media, educator, blogger,
      social learning network expert advisor



About Intuitive Media:

Intuitive Media provides award winning protected social networking and
learning spaces for children aged six - 14 years who are able to engage
safely in real online communities where they can learn, be creative,
communicate and collaborate with other children of all backgrounds and
cultures and make their voices heard in a protected environment. Intuitive
Media's safe social learning networks for children and young people include
www.SuperClubsPLUS.com for primary children, www.GoldStarCafe.net for
secondary and http://www.SchoolNetGlobal.com the biggest children's
contributory website on the planet.