Lakeside Village offers free WiFi throughout the centre and has been awarded ‘Friendly WiFi’ status in recognition of its commitment to helping children stay safe online.
The accreditation is part of a nationwide scheme designed to ensure businesses and public facilities, such as shops, restaurants, cafés and cinemas, have the right filters in place to stop children and young people viewing and accessing inappropriate material while using public WiFi.
Chery Sadler, centre manager at Lakeside Village, said: “We’re delighted to have been named as a Friendly WiFi provider – one of only a handful of organisations to have the accreditation in the local area.
“The safety of our shoppers is paramount and, as a family-friendly shopping centre that offers free WiFi, we’re 100 per cent committed to making sure the internet access we provide our shoppers with is filtered and safe for people of all ages to use.”
The Friendly WiFi scheme was initiated by the UK Government, the Council for Child Internet Safety (UKCCIS) and WiFi providers, after leading child safety charities raised concerns about the risks posed to children and young people by public WiFi access.