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Buckle Up On Information Highway
Released on: Saturday, March 17, 2007 8:00 AM
Buckling Up For Safety On The Information HighwayThe internet can bring the world into our homes – stores, businesses, clubs and organizations. It can also bring criminals, predators, and Internet bullies. Online crime is growing right along with online commerce – faster than protection software and legislation can keep up. While everyone is at risk, the dangers are especially acute for children and teens. What can be done to protect our children and their computers?
THE DANGERS
It is not unusual for children – even young children – to know more about computers and navigating the internet than their parents do. However, even cyber-savvy youths are often naďve about the risks of going online. And they are especially vulnerable to the myth that such perils only befall others – that nothing bad would ever happen to them. The first line of defense for parents, teachers, and other concerned adults is to ensure that we and our children are keenly aware of just what kinds of problems can be encountered in web-world.
- Personal Safety Dangers. According to Parenthood.com, contact by strangers is the most common and the most dangerous hazard young people face on the internet. The anonymity of cyberspace is ideal for stalkers and predators, making is much easier to misrepresent themselves, win the trust of their targeted victims, and glean vital information from them.
- Peace of Mind Dangers. Again, the anonymity of the internet makes it easy for people to communicate in ways that are intimidating, frightening, and upsetting to others. Children are especially susceptible because of the powerful influence peer pressure plays in their lives. Insulting remarks or pictures directed toward them or posted publicly about them can be every bit as terrifying as bullying at school or in the neighborhood.
Software Tools
Proactive informed parents are the best deterrent. The security concerns have spawned an industry of touted “software solutions.” At best software tools are reinforcements for your personal child safety campaign.
Software tools generally focus on two major tasks: tracking and monitoring internet usage and filtering or blocking certain forms of internet access. The following chart provides a comparison of the features of some of the more prominent programs available.
1Peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing programs allow direct downloading between end user computers, without the safeguards of a mediating website. P2P programs are used primarily to share music and video files, but can be used for any kind of computer data.2Program blocking capabilities include both programs installed on the computer and programs accessed online (e.g., video games and gambling programs). Time restrictions capabilities include both limiting the amount of time spent online in a given period (e.g., per day or week) and limiting access at certain times of the day (e.g., between 1:00 and 6:00 a.m.).
THE FIRST LINE OF DEFENSE
This seeming cornucopia of solutions may be deceptive, however. CNet reports that the US Justice Department cast doubt last winter on the notion that software alone is adequate protection. And Anne Collier, editor of NetFamilyNews.org, argues on the StaySafe.org website that Web 2.0 (cyberspeak for the new generation of internet involving multimedia, mobile access, multidirectional communication, and user-driven content) defies control, and reliance on software to keep our children safe is a partial solution at best.
GetNetWise.org offers a helpful Online Safety Guide that provides general tips for kids, teens, and families, then breaks specific suggestions down into age groups with three-year spans.
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