Child Safety on the Information Highway

Your Agency

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

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.

When You’re Online You’re in Public

Kids can communicate with others via

– e-mail– chat– newsgroups– web pages

Using

– words, pictures, sound, video

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

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

Putting It Into Perspective

If one child is abducted, molested, harassed or even made to feel uncomfortable on the Internet, than that’s one child too many. However, statistically, it’s 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

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 MaterialPhysical Harm or Child MissingHarassmentLegal and Financial

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

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

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 don’t know

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

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

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.

Guidelines for Parents (3)

Place the computer in a family room other other “public” part of the house. Not in a child’s bedroom.

– Be involved with your child’s use of the Internet.

• Surf together

• Reinforce good habits

• Have your child teach you!

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

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– Don’t overreact or punish your child for confiding in you

Never give out Your Passwords*

– AOL staff will never ask you for a password

– If someone calls and says they’re 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

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

Resources

SafeKids.Com (www.safekids.com

SafeTeens.Com (www.safeteens.com)

America Links Up (www.americalinksup.com)

Disney’s CyberNetiquette Comix (www.cybernetiquette.disney.com

Librarian's Guide to Cyberspace(www.ala.org/parents/)

National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (www.missingkids.com)

CyberAngels(www.cyberangels.org)

This is a partial listing. You’ll find more at the SafeKids.Com “other sites” link