Child Safety on the Information Highway

1
Child Safety on the Information Highway

• A talk based on the booklets
• Child Safety on the Information Highway and
• Teen Safety on the Information Highway
• by Lawrence J. Magid
• Published by the National Center for Missing and
  Exploited Children (www.missingkids.com)
• Available online at www.safekids.com and
  www.missingkids.com
• Order Free Booklets by calling 800 THE LOST

2
Benefits of the Internet

• Instant Communications
• e-mail, chat, school, club and company web sites
• News and Reference
• every major newspaper now online
• encyclopedias
• curriculum
• Entertainment
• movie guides, music, online videos and much more
• Commerce
• Shop, find plane schedules and travel bargains,
  sell via the net

3
PC is Not a Baby Sitter

• There are some risks
• Work with your children
• Guide them and learn from them
• Be understanding. Remember what it was like when
  you were their age.

4
When Youre Online Youre in Public

• Kids can communicate with others via
• e-mail
• chat
• newsgroups
• web pages
• Using
• words, pictures, sound, video

5
Internet is Global

• The Internet is a global network of networks
• No single country can set the rules
• Community standards vary by community
• It relies on self regulation

6
Most People Have Good Experiences

• Most people do not run into serious problems
• There are far more great sites than sites that
  are inappropriate
• There are ways to minimize risk and maximize
  benefits
• You are at a far greater risk in the off-line
  world than you are online

7
Putting It Into Perspective

• If one child is abducted, molested, harassed or
  even made to feel uncomfortable on the Internet,
  than thats one child too many. However,
  statistically, its one of the safest places for
  kids to hang out. Consider ...
• Each year, more than 6,600 children ages 14 and
  under die and another 120,000 are permanently
  disabled from motor vehicle crashes, drowning,
  fire and burns, airway obstruction injury,
  unintentional firearm injury, falls, poisoning
  and other injury risk areas. One out of four
  children sustains injuries serious enough to
  require medical attention each year.
• National SafeKids Campaign

8
So, are there any risks?

• Like any community, there are always things you
  should learn to avoid. The Internet, like
  schools, homes and every other good place does
  have some risks.
• Exposure to Inappropriate Material
• Physical Harm or Child Missing
• Harassment
• Legal and Financial

9
Teens

• Teenagers are more not less vulnerable than
  younger children
• they are more independent
• they are more curious
• they are more likely to be lured into an
  inappropriate relationship
• However

10
What Teens Need

• Greater freedom
• More understanding from parents
• The sense that what they think, feel and do is
  important and worthwhile
• Real communications with parents, teachers and
  friends

11
Warning Signs

• A child or teenager's excessive use of online
  services or the Internet, especially late at
  night
• Unsupervised time in unmoderated chat rooms
• Lots of graphic files downloaded
• look for files ending in .jpg, .gif, .bmp, .tif,
  .pcx
• Phone calls from strangers
• Face to face meetings with people you dont know

12
How Parents Can Reduce Risks

• Make sure kids are only exchanging e-mail with
  people they/you know
• Only let kids use chat areas that are supervised
  and run by a reputable service or site
• Monitor general behavior and attitude

13
Guidelines for Parents (1)

• Never give out identifying information
• home address, school name, or telephone number--
  in a public message such as chat or bulletin
  boards (newsgroup), and be sure you're dealing
  with someone that both you and your child know
  and trust before giving it out via E-mail

14
Guidelines for Parents (2)

• 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
• become familiar with all the things that you can
  do online.

15
Guidelines for Parents (3)

• Place the computer in a family room other other
  public part of the house. Not in a childs
  bedroom.
• Be involved with your childs use of the
  Internet.
• Surf together
• Reinforce good habits
• Have your child teach you!

16
Guidelines for Parents (4)

• Never allow a child to arrange a face-to-face
  meeting with another computer user without
  parental permission.
• If a meeting is arranged, make the first one in a
  public spot, and be sure to accompany your child

17
Guidelines for Parents (5)

• Never respond to messages or bulletin board items
  that are suggestive, obscene, belligerent,
  threatening, or make you feel uncomfortable.
• Encourage children to tell you if they encounter
  such messages.
• Help them understand that it is not their fault
• Dont overreact or punish your child for
  confiding in you

18
Never give out Your Passwords

• AOL staff will never ask you for a password
• If someone calls and says theyre with an online
  service and needs your password, get their name
  and number and e-mail address. Call the service
  and ask if such a person works there and whether
  they allow employees to ask for passwords
• Except to your parents

19
People 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.
• Someone indicating that "she" is a "12-year-old
  girl" could really be a 40-year-old man.

20
What You See Online May Not Be True

• Any offer that's "too good to be true" probably
  is.
• Be very careful about offers that involve
• your coming to a meeting
• having someone visit your house
• sending money or credit card information

21
Set reasonable rules and guidelines

• Discuss these rules and post them near the
  computer as a reminder.
• Remember to monitor their compliance with these
  rules, especially when it comes to the amount of
  time your children spend on the computer.

22
My Rules for Online Safety

• 1. I will not give out personal information such
  as my address, telephone number, parents' work
  address/telephone number or the name and location
  of my school without my parents' permission.
• 2. I will tell my parents right away if I come
  across any information that makes me feel
  uncomfortable.
• 3. I will never agree to get together with
  someone I "meet" online without first checking
  with my parents. If my parents agree to the
  meeting, I will be sure that it is in a public
  place and bring my mother or father along.

23
More Rules for Online Safety

• 4. I will never send a person my picture or
  anything else without first checking with my
  parents.
• 5. I will not respond to any messages that are
  mean or in any way make me feel uncomfortable. It
  is not my fault if I get a message like that. If
  I do I will tell my parents right away so that
  they can contact the online service.
• 6. I will talk with my parents so that we can set
  up rules for going online. We will decide upon
  the time of day that 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.

24
Report Illegal Material

• Child pornography or any other illegal activities
  directed at children should be reported to the
  CyberTipline at www.missingkids.com/cybertip.

25
Resources

• SafeKids.Com (www.safekids.com
• SafeTeens.Com (www.safeteens.com)
• America Links Up (www.americalinksup.com)
• Disneys CyberNetiquette Comix (www.cybernetiquett
  e.disney.com
• Librarian's Guide to Cyberspace(www.ala.org/paren
  ts/)

• National Center for Missing and Exploited
  Children (www.missingkids.com)
• CyberTipLine (www.missingkids.com/cybertip/)
• FBI (www.fbi.gov/kids/kids.htm) nts/
• CyberAngels(www.cyberangels.org)

This is a partial listing. Youll find more at
the SafeKids.Com other sites link