Zeeko Confirms High Internet Usage in Ireland Among Young People
Dublin, Ireland 17 May 2017, Today the World Health Organisation has suggested that a dramatic rise in the use of computers and social media is wreaking havoc on the health of young people.
Zeeko, an Irish EdTech start-up which works with parents to teach their children to stay safe online, believes that education is key to internet safety.
Zeeko, founded by Joe Kenny in 2013 is headquartered at NovaUCD, the Centre for New Ventures and Entrepreneurs at University College Dublin and is an Enterprise Ireland high-potential start-up (HPSU) company.
The company, headquartered at NovaUCD, the Centre for New Ventures and Entrepreneurs at University College Dublin, is an Enterprise Ireland high-potential start-up (HPSU) company.
Joe Kenny, Zeeko, founder and CEO, commented,“The Internet is an integral part of young people’s academic, professional and personal lives with many benefits such as enhanced self-esteem, expression of identity, enhancement of interpersonal relationships and social interactions among others”.
He added, “We know from our last survey of over 4,400 primary school children that 34% of primary school children spend > 2 hours screen time per day weekdays, rising to 54% > 2 hours screen time per day at the weekend. We promote the 5 to 1 rule in primary schools, for every 5 hours in the real world a child can earn 1 hour in the virtual world. It is really about promoting a healthy balance using media, sleep, physical activity, socialising with friends and other activities.
He concluded “We need to empower young people through education to develop self-coping and self-protection strategies. Similar to road safety, we do not let our children just cross the road we teach our children to cross the road. Parents need to strike the balance between restricting internet access as a safety measure and encouraging internet access as a learning strategy” .
Between July 2016 and June 2017 Zeeko will deliver internet safety seminars in primary schools, secondary schools and companies to over 60,000 pupils, 2,900 teachers and 6,000 parents.
Last year Zeeko successfully ran a crowdfunding campaign to publish the Zeeko Internet Safety Guide. A free digital copy of the guide was sent to every primary school in Ireland.
Joe Kenny is available for interviews on this topic.
ENDS 17th May, 2017
For further information contact Joe Kenny, Zeeko, NovaUCD, Founder and CEO at Zeeko, t: +353 (0)879019857, e: Joe@zeeko.ie
Editor Notes
Zeeko, an Enterprise Ireland high-potential start-up (HPSU), is headquartered at NovaUCD, the Centre for New Ventures and Entrepreneurs at University College Dublin. The company is founded by Joe Kenny in 2013. Zeeko works with parents, teachers and children to promote digital health and internet safety among primary and secondary school children. www.zeeko.ie
At NovaUCD, the hub for new ventures and entrepreneurs at University College Dublin, we nurture and support new high-tech and knowledge-intensive companies as part of UCD’s mission. At NovaUCD we provide purpose-built, state-of-the-art incubation facilities alongside a comprehensive business support programme for client companies such as Zeeko. NovaUCD has been funded through a unique public-private partnership that includes AIB Bank, Arthur Cox, Deloitte, Enterprise Ireland, Ericsson, Goodbody Stockbrokers, UCD and Xilinx. Nova UCD
The H2020 SME Innovation Associate call is aimed at overcoming barriers for EU SMEs and start-ups to the recruitment of highly qualified specialists (PhD or equivalent) that are not available on the national job market (either because the required skills are not available or because they are not affordable), but whose knowledge would be crucial to open up opportunities for innovation and significant growth for the enterprise. H2020 SME Innovation Associate
