"Cyberspace," the "web," the "net," the "information
highway," whatever it’s called, millions of people are
now going online to exchange electronic mail (E-mail)
and instant messages; participate in chat groups; post
and read messages in newsgroups, which are sometimes
called bulletin boards; “surf ” the world wide web; and
many other online activities. Children are no exception
and in fact are more likely to be online than
adults.
Personal computers are no longer the only method used
for accessing the Internet. Children can go online from
personal computers at home, at a friend’s house, in
school, at a library, at a club, or at a cafe. Many game
consoles can be connected to the Internet and used for
chatting and other online interaction. It is also
possible to access the Internet using mobile devices
such as cellular telephones and other handheld devices.
In other words children don’t have to be in the company
of responsible adults to use the Internet.
To get online you can sign up with an Internet
Service Provider (ISP), which will provide you with
access to web sites and other areas of the Internet.
Most people get online by using high-speed broadband
connections such as a Direct Subscriber Line (DSL) or
cable modems, but many families are still using a modem
to connect their computer to a telephone line. Most
cellular telephones sold today come with a web browser,
E-mail, and some form of instant or “short” messaging
system (SMS).
Even though ISPs and cellular telephone companies
strive to provide their subscribers with an enjoyable,
safe, and rewarding online experience, it’s not possible
for these companies to monitor everyone who uses their
service anymore than a local government can control the
behavior of the people within its borders. Once you’re
connected to the Internet you’re able to exchange
information with people who use other ISPs and online
services unless you’re using a service offering
restricted access such as blocking mail from outside the
service or from people who aren’t pre-approved by a
child’s parent or guardian.
There are no censors on the Internet. Anyone in the
world — companies, governments, individuals, and
organizations — can publish material on the Internet. An
ISP links you to these sites, but it can’t control what
is on them. It’s up to individuals to make sure they
behave in a safe and appropriate way.
Benefits of the Information
Highway
There is a vast array of services available online.
Reference information such as airline fares,
encyclopedias, movie reviews, news, sports, stock
quotes, and weather are readily available. Users can
conduct transactions such as banking, making travel
reservations, shopping, and trading stocks online. You
can find information about your local schools,
government, and vital health matters. You can read an
out-of-town newspaper online. Millions of people
communicate through E-mail with family, friends, and
colleagues around the world. Other people use chat areas
to communicate with those who have common interests. You
can even use the Internet to watch videos and listen to
audio programs produced by major media companies,
businesses, organizations, and individuals.
As an educational and entertainment tool users can
learn about virtually any topic, visit a museum, take a
college course, or play an endless number of computer
games with other users or a`gainst the computer
itself.
Most people who go online have mainly positive
experiences. But, like any endeavor — attending school,
cooking, riding a bicycle, or traveling — there are some
risks and annoyances. The online world, like the rest of
society, is made up of a wide array of people. Most are
decent and respectful, but some may be rude, obnoxious,
insulting, or even mean and exploitive. Children get a
lot of benefits from being online, but they can also be
targets of crime, exploitation, and harassment in this
as in any other environment. Trusting, curious, and
anxious to explore this new world and the relationships
it brings, children need supervision and common-sense
advice regarding how to be sure their experiences in
“cyberspace” are happy, healthy, and productive.
Putting the Issue in Perspective
There have been some highly publicized cases of
exploitation involving the Internet, but that doesn’t
mean every child will experience major problems. The
vast majority of people who use the Internet do not get
into serious trouble. Many people, including children,
have been confronted with disturbing or inappropriate
material. There are steps parents and guardians can take
to try to shield their children from such material, but
it’s almost impossible to completely avoid all
inappropriate material.
Sadly there are some cases where children have been
victimized by serious crime as a result of going online.
Families can greatly minimize the chances their children
will be victimized by teaching children to follow the
safety rules on the back cover. The fact that crimes are
being committed online, however, is not a reason to
avoid using these services. To tell children to stop
using the Internet would be like telling them to forgo
attending school because students are sometimes
victimized or bullied there. A better strategy would be
to instruct children about both the benefits and dangers
of “cyberspace” and for them to learn how to be “street
smart” in order to better safeguard themselves in any
potentially dangerous situation.
What Are the Risks?
There are a few risks for children who use the
Internet or other online services. Teenagers are
particularly at risk because they often go online
unsupervised and are more likely than younger children
to participate in online discussions regarding
companionship, relationships, or sexual activity. Some
specific risks include
- Exposure to inappropriate
material. Your child may be exposed to
inappropriate material considered to be sexual,
hateful, or violent in nature or material encouraging
dangerous or illegal activities. Children could seek
out such material but may also come across it on the
web via chat areas, E-mail, or even instant messaging
if they’re not looking for it.
- Physical molestation. Your child
might provide information or arrange an encounter
possibly risking his or her safety or the safety of
other family members. In some cases child molesters
have used chat areas, E-mail, and instant messages to
gain a child’s confidence and then arrange a
face-to-face meeting.
- Harassment and bullying. Your
child might encounter messages via chat, E-mail, or
their cellular telephones that are belligerent,
demeaning, or harassing. “Bullies,” typically other
young people, often use the Internet to bother their
victims.
- Viruses and hackers. Your child
could download a file containing a virus that could
damage the computer or increase the risk of a “hacker”
gaining remote access to the computer. This could
jeopardize your family’s privacy and safety.
- Legal and financial. Your child
could do something that has negative legal or
financial consequences such as giving out a family
member’s credit-card number or doing something
violating another person’s rights. Legal issues aside,
children should be taught good “netiquette” which
means to avoid being inconsiderate, mean, or rude on
the Internet.
How Families Can Reduce the
Risks
While children need a certain amount of privacy, they
also need family involvement and supervision in their
daily lives. The same general “parenting” skills that
apply to the “real world” also apply online.
If you have cause for concern about your children’s
online activities, talk to them. Also seek out the
advice and counsel of teachers, librarians, and other
Internet and online service users in your area. Having
open communication with your children, using computer
resources, and getting online yourself will help you
obtain the full benefits of these systems and alert you
to any potential problem that may occur with their use.
If your child tells you about an upsetting message,
person, or web site encountered while online, don’t
blame your child but help him or her avoid problems in
the future. Remember — how you respond will determine
whether they confide in you the next time they encounter
a problem and how they learn to deal with problems on
their own.
Beyond these basics there are some specific things
you should know about the Internet. For instance did you
know there are chat areas, newsgroups, and web sites
that have hateful or violent material or material
otherwise considered to be inappropriate by parents or
guardians? It’s possible for children to stumble across
this type of material when doing a search using one of
the web sites specifically designed to help people find
information on the Internet. Most of these sites, called
“search engines,” do not, by default, filter out
material that might be inappropriate for children, but
some offer a child-safe option and others are designed
specifically for use by children. Remember, finding
inappropriate material online can make people feel badly
or even hurt people. If your children end up in any of
these areas, tell them to immediately leave by clicking
on the Home icon, going to another site, or shutting
down the browser.
Also the Internet contains newsgroups, web sites, and
other areas designed specifically for adults who wish to
post, read, or view sexually explicit material including
pictures, stories, and videos. Some of this material is
posted on web sites where there is an attempt to verify
the user’s age and/or a requirement for users to enter a
credit-card number on the presumption that children do
not have access to credit-card numbers. Other areas on
the Internet make no such effort to control access.
Nevertheless, consider monitoring your credit-card bills
for such charges. In addition to “adult” pornography,
there are also areas on the Internet containing illegal
pornographic images of children. If you or your children
come across this type of material, immediately report it
to the National Center for Missing & Exploited
Children’s CyberTipline® at www.cybertipline.com.
Some online services and ISPs allow parents or
guardians to limit their children’s access to certain
services and features such as adult-oriented
“chatrooms,” bulletin boards, and web sites. There may
be an area just for children where it is less likely for
them to stumble onto inappropriate material or get into
an unsupervised “chatroom.” At the very least, keep
track of any files your children download to the
computer, consider sharing an E-mail account with your
children to oversee their mail, and consider joining
them when they are in private chat areas.
In addition there are ways to filter or control what
your children can see and do online. One type of filter,
called a “spam” filter, limits unsolicited E-mail
including mail promoting sexually explicit material.
Some ISPs and E-mail services include filters as part of
their service but, if not, there is software you can
purchase that will attempt to limit the type of mail
getting through.
There are also ways to filter what a child can see on
the world wide web. Check with your service provider to
see if they offer age-appropriate “parental controls.”
If not consider using a software program blocking chat
areas, newsgroups, and web sites known to be
inappropriate for children. Most of these programs can
be configured by the parent or guardian to filter out
sites containing nudity, sexual content, hateful or
violent material or advocating the use of alcohol,
drugs, or tobacco. Some can also be configured to
prevent children from revealing information about
themselves such as their name, address, or telephone
number. You can find a directory of these filtering
programs at http://kids.getnetwise.org/tools.
Another option is to use a rating system that relies
on web-site operators to indicate the nature of their
material. Internet browsers can be configured to only
allow children to visit sites rated at the level parents
or guardians specify. The advantage to this method is
only appropriately rated sites can be viewed. The
disadvantage is many appropriate web sites have not
submitted themselves for a rating and will therefore be
blocked.
While technological-child-protection tools are worth
exploring, they’re not a panacea. To begin with, no
program is perfect. There is always the possibility
something inappropriate could “slip through” or
something appropriate will be blocked. Finally,
filtering programs do not necessarily protect children
from all dangerous activities. For example some do not
control instant messaging or chat services, which are
particularly dangerous because they put a child in
instant communications with other people. Also some
filters do not work with peer-to-peer networks allowing
people to exchange files such as music, pictures, text,
and videos. These peer-to-peer networks are sometimes
used to distribute pornography, including pornographic
images of children. And file-sharing when in
peer-to-peer networks may turn your personal computer
into a server that shares your files, which can place
you in legal trouble or possibly allow others to gain
access to your child’s personal stuff on his or her
computer. It’s like giving someone you don’t know the
opportunity to know everything. Thus filters are not a
substitute for family-member involvement.
Regardless of whether you choose to use a filtering
program or an Internet rating system, the best way to
assure your children are having positive online
experiences is to stay in touch with what they are
doing. One way to do this is to spend time with your
children while they’re online. Have them show you what
they do, and ask them to teach you how to use the
Internet or online service. You might be surprised by
how much you can learn from your children.
Guidelines for Parents or
Guardians
By taking responsibility for your children’s online
computer use, parents or guardians can greatly minimize
any potential risks of being online. Make it a family
rule to
- Never give out identifying information — home
address, school name, or telephone number — in a
public message such as chat or newsgroups, and be sure
you’re dealing with someone both you and your children
know and trust before giving out this information via
E-mail. Think carefully before revealing any personal
information such as age, financial information, or
marital status. Do not post photographs of your
children in newsgroups or on web sites available to
the public. Consider using a pseudonym, avoid listing
your child’s name and E-mail address in any public
directories and profiles, and find out about your
ISP’s privacy policies and exercise your options for
how your personal information may be used.
- Get to know the Internet and any services your
child uses. If you don’t know how to log on, get your
child to show you. Have your child show you what he or
she does online, and become familiar with all the
activities available online. Find out if your children
have a free webbased, E-mail account, such as those
offered by some ISPs. If so learn their user names and
passwords on those accounts. Also learn the places,
such as school and the library, where they can access
those accounts.
- Never allow your child to arrange a face-to-face
meeting with someone they first “meet” on the Internet
without an adult family member’s permission. If a
meeting is arranged, make the first one in a public
place, and be sure to accompany your child.
- Never respond to messages that are suggestive; are
obscene; are belligerent; are threatening; or make you
feel scared, uncomfortable, or confused. Encourage
your children to tell you if they encounter such
messages. If you or your child receives a message that
is harassing, of a sexual nature, or threatening,
forward a copy of the message to your ISP, and ask for
their assistance. Instruct your child not to click on
any links contained in E-mail from persons they don’t
know. Such links could lead to sexually explicit or
otherwise inappropriate web sites or could be a
computer virus. If someone sends you or your children
messages or images that are indecent, lewd, or obscene
with the intent to abuse, annoy, harass, or threaten
you, or if you become aware of the transmission, use,
or viewing of pornographic images of children while
online, immediately report this to NCMEC’s
CyberTipline at 1-800-843-5678 or www.cybertipline.com.
- Remember people online may not be who they seem.
Because you can’t see or even hear the person it would
be easy for someone to misrepresent him- or herself.
Thus someone indicating “she” is a “12-year-old girl”
could in reality be a 40-year-old man.
- Remember everything you read online may not be
true. Any offer that’s “too good to be true” probably
is. Be careful about any offers involving you going to
a meeting, having someone visit your home, or sending
money or credit-card information.
- Set reasonable rules and guidelines for computer
use by your children. See “My Rules for Online Safety”
on the back cover, discuss them with your children,
and post them near the computer as a reminder.
Remember to monitor your children’s compliance with
these rules, especially when it comes to the amount of
time your children spend on the computer. A child’s
excessive use of online services or the Internet,
especially late at night, may be a clue there is a
potential problem. Remember personal computers and
online services should not be used as electronic
babysitters.
- Check out blocking, filtering, and ratings
applications to see if they will be of assistance to
your family.
Be sure to make this a family activity. Consider
keeping the computer in a family room rather than the
child’s bedroom. Get to know their “online Set
reasonable rules and guidelines for computer use by your
children. friends” just as you get to know all of their
other friends. If your child has a cellular telephone,
talk with him or her about using it safely. The same
rules that apply to computer use also apply to the use
of cellular telephones.
My Rules for Online Safety I will
not give out personal information such as my address,
telephone number, parents’ or guardians’ work
address/telephone number, or the name and location of my
school without my parents’ or guardians’ permission. I
will not give out my Internet password(s) to anyone —
even my best friends — other than my parents or
guardians.
- I will tell my parents or guardians right away if
I come across any information that makes me feel
scared, uncomfortable, or confused.
- I will never agree to get together with someone I
first “meet” online without checking with my parents
or guardians. If they agree to the meeting, I will be
sure it is in a public place and bring my parent or
guardian along.
- I will never send a person my picture or anything
else without first checking with my parents or
guardians.
- I will not respond to any messages that are mean
or in any way make me feel scared, uncomfortable, or
confused. It is not my fault if I get a message like
that. If I do I will tell a trusted adult right away
so they can contact the online service.
- I will talk with my parents or guardians so we can
set up rules for going online. We will decide upon the
time of day I can be online, the length of time I can
be online, and appropriate areas for me to visit. I
will not access other areas or break these rules
without their permission.
- I will practice good “netiquette” by not hurting
other people or breaking the law.
This brochure was written by
Lawrence J. Magid, a syndicated columnist and technology
commentator, who is author of The Little PC
Book (Peachpit Press) and host of www.safekids.com,
a web site devoted to keeping children safer in
“cyberspace.” He is also the author of Teen Safety
on the Information Highway, a free brochure also
published by the National Center for Missing &
Exploited Children.
The first edition of this
brochure was created with the generous sponsorship of
America Online®, CompuServe®,
Delphi™ Internet, e•World, GEnie®,
Interchange™ Online Network, and Prodigy®
Services.
This project was supported by
Grant No. 2005-MC-CXK024 awarded by the Office of
Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Office of
Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. Points of
view or opinions in this document are those of the
author and do not necessarily represent the official
position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
National Center for Missing & Exploited
Children®, 1-800-THE-LOST®, and
CyberTipline® are registered service marks of
the National Center for Missing & Exploited
Children. |