Recently in Online Safety Category
Check out the article in today's Washington Post, "When Young Teachers Go Wild on the Web." The article reveals how some young teachers are finding that their "private" Facebook profiles and photos can actually be viewed by a wider circle, including their school district administrators. In some cases, revealing and inappropriate photos have led to dismissal from professional positions.
Teens and young adults are under the false impression that only their "friends" can view the images and comments one enters on a Facebook or MySpace page. The Washington Post article describes one teacher's discovery that her Facebook is not as private as she thought. "Like several other teachers interviewed, Webster said she thought her page could only been seen by people she accepted as "friends." But like those of many teachers on Facebook, Webster's profile was accessible by the more than 525,000 members of the Washington, D.C. network. Anyone can join any geographic network."
Parents... tell your kids, teens and young adults about the risks of sharing personal, private information and pictures online. What goes online stays online ... and can be viewed for many years by current and future employers, colleagues, college admissions officers, and others.
Her study is now complete and the recommendations of the Byron Review have just been released. The Review highlights the tremendous benefits of the Internet for kids, but also recognizes the dangers. One important observation is that parents often lack the knowledge of the Internet necessary to protect their children.
The Review recommends the creation of a UK Council for Child Internet Safety. The council will bring together government, industry, children's charities, parents, and young people to address online safety issues. The Review also recommends a comprehensive public information and awareness campaign on child Internet safety across government and industry.
The Family Online Safety Institute (FOSI) issued a press release and CEO Stephen Balkam hailed the report as "...the most comprehensive review of the Internet and children to date..."
There's much more to the Byron Review and you can read about it by following the links below:
http://www.dfes.gov.uk/byronreview/
http://www.fosi.org/press/fosiwelcomesbyron/
This study does help to focus on the realities of online safety - but there is no disputing that kids and their parents need to be aware of the range of potential safety issues and how to address them.
The study, "Online 'Predators' and Their Victims: Myths, Realities and Implications for Prevention" was conducted by the University of New Hampshire Crimes against Children Research Center. The study concludes that kids using social networking sites don't have an increased risk of being stalked or threatened by sexual predators. The study reveals that sex offenders may find vulnerable youth online - but they are kids that often have histories of sexual or physical abuse, family problems and generally are willing to take risks - both online and offline. Predators communicate with their potential victims in online chatrooms, rather than social networking sites, building a relationship with their "victim" over a period of time.
The study's findings are instructive to learn how to educate parents and kids about the greatest risks online. I think it's also important to remember that some of the issues kids deal with online may not be as extreme as meeting a potential sexual predator, but they can also create serious problems. The other risks to kids online include cyber bullying, sending or receiving inappropriate messages, loss of privacy, etc. Parents need to be aware of the complete range of online security issues - and then take the necessary steps to keep them safe.
The study will be published in the February/March issue of the American Psychologist (American Psychological Association publication). Here's a link to the article about the study:
www.nashuatelegraph.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080219/NEWS02/976106054
This deal is an example of how policymakers and the industry leaders can begin to work together to address the best methods for protecting our kids online and highlighting the important role that tools play for parents.
Parents must be involved in their children's Internet activity. The more parents are involved, the safer our kids will be. Parents need to educate themselves on the tools that are available; websites such as www.getnetwise.com are a resource for helpful tips and demos on online safety. Service providers are also engaged and offer information on their websites, such as AT&T's Smart Limits. There is still more to be done to help protect our kids, but we are working in the right direction. The more diligent we all are on this issue, the better prepared we'll be to keep our kids safe online.
Here are a couple of news articles about the deal:
http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Business/2008/01/14/myspace_state_ags_state_safety_principles/4874/
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/web20/61218.html
Last week I attended the 2008 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, where I had the opportunity to roam the exhibits and view the latest gizmos and online technology. I also attended a special program, the "Sandbox Summit," which explored the ways children are using the latest digital technology.
No session about kids and the internet would be complete without some information regarding online safety and the "Sandbox Summit" conference raised a few interesting and insightful thoughts that help inform parents' concern about online safety.
First, a Summit speaker with Nickelodeon pointed to the fact that homes with kids have more high tech items and today even the youngest kids are going online. In today's digital world, children have become the experts and parents often go to their kids for advice on technology purchases.
Although children have become the chief technology officers in many households and play an important role in determining the selection and purchase of technology items in the home, parents still need to maintain the primary role of gatekeepers for online safety.
According to one of the speakers at the Summit, one in four kids have a computer in their bedroom, which can make it very difficult for parents to monitor their children's online usage. One simple online safety first-step is to place the computer in a more public place in the home, so parents can have more oversight of their kids' use of the Internet.
Parental guidelines for Internet use and safety in the home, as well as online tools such as AT&T's Smart Limits, provide the best "shovels and pails" to use in a family's "online sandbox."
Just wanted to give a heads up - Family Online Safety Institute (FOSI) has posted all of the information from their December conference on their website. Extensive coverage of the event is available, including photos, videos of speeches and breakout sessions, and reports published at the conference.
Check it out here.
Who should assume greater responsibility for keeping kids safe online? Law enforcement? Government? Parents?
Each of these groups has a critical role- government, for example, is certainly an important contributor to promoting online safety, but regulations can only extend so far. Ultimately, parents remain the greatest influence in affecting their children's behavior online.
At last month's FOSI conference, Roger Cochetti from the Computing Technology Industry Association shared a similar viewpoint. Cochetti compared perceptions of online safety vs. offline safety, asserting that it is common sense that parents should be the ultimate protectors of children in both worlds.
But what exactly can parents do to protect their children in the world of Web 2.0? AT&T's Dorothy Atwood shared insights about the tools available to aide parents, such as AT&T's Smart Limits, which allows parents to filter content and monitor online use. You can learn more about Smart Limits here.
It's getting down to the wire for your holiday shopping and if you're buying gifts online, I want to remind you to shop safely. It's relatively easy to take a few steps to protect your financial information and make sure you pay for the gifts you actually ordered. Here are a couple of tips:
• When shopping online, make sure you have your computer in a safe, private location. You don't want others to be able to view your screen. Make sure you lock or turn-off your computer when you leave your desk.
• Use a major credit card for your online purchases; most cards will protect you from online fraud. Also, try to charge all your purchases on the same credit card - it is easier to just check one bill to make sure it's accurate.
• Watch for any pop-ups or other e-mails that ask for personal account information. E-mails that appear to be sent from your bank asking for personal account information such as your account number, password or Social Security number are likely the work of a scam artist. Do not respond.
• Important tip: When you shop online, there's a quick way to make sure your credit card information is secure. The URL in the address window will change from http:// to either https:// or shttp:// (an "s" either before or after the http) when you enter your information on the screen.
For more information on staying safe online, check out the Federal Trade Commission's site. Some companies offer advice and tools as well. Check out the Smart Limits service from AT&T.
At last week's FOSI conference, I served as moderator for the panel, "What the Research is Telling Us." After delivering brief introductory remarks, I introduced the speakers: Amanda Lenhart (Senior Research Specialist, Pew Internet and American Life Project) and Sonia Livingstone (Professor of Social Psychology in the Department of Media and Communications, London School of Economics and Political Science). They presented the statistics regarding online predators, cyber bullying, and inappropriate content and contacts online. I followed their presentations with a question regarding Internet user's awareness of the lack of privacy for their personal information and photos online, particularly on social networks.
I believe the research information presented by these two experts is so important for anyone working on online safety. We need to understand what kids are experiencing online before we can determine the best way to protect them.
Both of their presentations are now available online:
I want to take a moment to call attention to several excellent resources from last week's FOSI conference. The day was packed with great speakers, workshops, and presentations, all of which were extremely valuable. Topics included trends, the role of government regulation, and international policy.
In coming posts, I'll focus more on a few of these topics, including research and the role of education, but I encourage anyone interested in the latest online safety information to review the following resources:
FOSI's Annual State of Online Safety Report
Media Creativity and the Public Good by the Aspen Institute
A blog post from Google's Chief Internet Evangelist on the company's role in keeping kids safe online
