Internet Safety

When it comes to online safety, or any type of safety for that matter, most kids these days are pretty confident.  Children learn at an early age to never talk to strangers, and you most likely know to never give out your full name, address, phone number, etc to anyone you meet online.

            But did you know that hundreds of young people still give out too much information about themselves while they’re communication online?  By giving concrete details about themselves, these kids make it way too easy for a stranger to track them down and potentially do them harm. 

 

What dangers does the Internet pose to children?

     The Internet is an uncensored source of information that is not necessarily designed for children.  Exploring the Internet without adult supervision or guidance can expose a child to sites that are harmful (sites that advocate violence, that are sexually explicit, that encourage inappropriate behavior).  **There are some people that use chat rooms or Instant Messenger programs to make inappropriate contact with children**

 

There are six types of risks our children face online:

 

1. They can access information that might be inappropriate for them.  This includes pornography, hate, intolerance, bigotry, gore, violence, hoaxes, and misinformation and hype
2. They can access information, do things, and purchase products that might be dangerous to them.  There are sites that offer bomb-building recipes, sites that sell guns, alcohol, poisons, tobacco products and drugs, and sites that offer gambling online.
3. They can be stalked and harassed by people (often other children) who are rude, insulting, and make threats, or may sent them viruses or hack their computers
4. They can give up important and private information by filling out forms and entering contests online, and, as a result, be targeted by irresponsible marketers using unfair marketing techniques
5. They can give up important and private information by filling out forms and entering contests online, and, as a result, be targeted by irresponsible marketers using unfair marketing techniques
6. They can be lured by cyberpredators who want to meet them face-to-face

 

FBI Child Safety

            The FBI has jurisdiction over online crimes against children.  There are lots of programs run by the FBI to keep kids safe, online and off.

 

            The FBI Innocent Images Unit is the premier law-enforcement agency charged with finding predators in cyberspace.  (They call the predators “travelers” since they travel from state to state to meet their victims)

 

CyberTipline – National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) has a system for identifying online predators and child pornographers and contributing to law enforcement investigations (1-800-843-5678)

 

Types of Child Sexual Exploitation

v     Position, Manufacture, and Distribution of Child Pornography

v     Online Enticement of Children for Sexual Acts

v     Child Prostitution

v     Child-Sex Tourism

v     Child Sexual Molestation (not in the family)

v     Unsolicited Obscene Material Sent to a Child

v     Misleading Domain Name

 

 

Online Safety Guidelines for Parents

1.      Personal information stays personal. While this is an important rule for children it's also an important rule for parents. Giving information on your family and your children to the wrong person could be dangerous.

2.      Make sure your child doesn't spend all of his or her time on the computer

3.      Keep the computer in a family room, kitchen or living room, not in your child's bedroom. This way parents can monitor what is happening when the child is online. Knowing you are watching, kids are less likely to put themselves in risky situations and you can safely oversee what's going on.

4.      Learn enough about computers so you can enjoy them together with your kids

5.      Watch your children when they're online and see where they go

6.      Make sure that your children feel comfortable coming to you with questions. This should apply to all situations including the computer. If your children feel they can trust you they are more likely to come to you with tough problems and questions

7.      Keep kids out of chatrooms unless they are monitored

8.      Get to know their "online friends" just as you get to know all of their other friends

9.      Warn them that people may not be what they seem to be. I can say I'm a 12-year-old boy named Billy but I'm not. The Internet provides a cover for people to put on whatever persona's they desire. Predators often pose as children to gain our children's trust