Internet Safety and Youth Developing

Internet Safety and Youth

Developing computer skills is vital for today's children. It has become an important means for communication, plays an important role in nearly every job, can enhance both education and general quality of life (Rupley, 2004). The difficulty with children using the computer is that some people online may use computers to gain access to our children for inappropriate and even criminal reasons. Children, by their nature, will not have the skills on their own to avoid the dangers that can come with internet access, so it is up to parents and educators both to protect children and to teach them how to keep themselves safe online

The risks to children are very real. The FBI reports that one in five children receive pornography or are solicited by sexual predators online (McKinley, 2002). By the time they are teenagers, one in four has been contacted by strangers who want to meet them in real life (Rupley, 2004). Since the Internet is now used more than the telephone, and since most children are not supervised all the time they are online (McKinley, 2002), predators attempt to exploit their vulnerability. Very often the children and teens, underestimating the risk, unaware of the risk, or believing that they can avoid being victimized, get online while they are supposed to be asleep. They may talk with strangers as well as people they know (Rupley, 2004).

Whether the predators seek to sell pornography or to meet in person, they are all too often successful. In 2003, John Zuccarini pled guilty under the federal "Truth in Domain Names Act." Using over 3,000 domain names that mimicked TV shows youth often watch, such as www.teltubbies.com (no longer a real domain) he misdirected children to sites containing hard-core pornography (Rupley, 2004). In a more disturbing case, in 2001 a 13-year-old girl left to meet her online "boyfriend" at a local fast-food restaurant. He was actually a 25-year-old man, and he killed her (McKinley, 2002).

When children cannot fully protect themselves, it is up to the adults around them to act, which is what AOL executive Teri Schroeder did. She realized that young people were contacting AOL about the problem of adults inappropriately approaching them online. They didn't go to their parents because they were afraid that their parents wouldn't let them use the computer any longer (McKinley, 2002). Schroeder investigated how predators lured these kids away from monitored discussions into unsupervised, private chat rooms, and founded "I-Safe," a non-profit group designed to teach young people how to stay safe while online. Congress responded to her actions and provided funds for school outreach programs. I-SAFE teaches educators how to help protect the students in their charge. It also works with community leaders to promote safety online for children and teenagers (McKinley, 2002).

In addition to using the training available from I-SAFE, schools can take a number of actions that will help protect their students as they use the Internet, setting policies in place that can dramatically the risk of online predators at school. For instance, since most internet predators contact youth through chats and instant messages, many schools block those methods of communication (Aftab, 2004). Such specific rules should be part of the district's "acceptable use" policy. Rules regarding the use of computers and access to the Internet should be spelled out in writing, read carefully, and signed by both parents and students. The policy should include the consequences for breaking the rules as well as exactly what a student should do to report any problem (Aftab, 2004). If the parent will not sign a permission slip stating that they and the child have reviewed the rules, the school should not allow that student internet access. Other precautions include not allowing children to register at any website from school computers.

Since one tool predators can use to break down a child's sense of caution is knowledge of the child's real name, parents should pay careful attention to their child's school website. It should not include any personal information that could identify any students (Aftab, 2004). The content of pictures should be carefully monitored. For example, does the picture of the soccer game include student names? Predators can use such information to start tracking down potential victims.

Parents should also make sure the school uses content filters (federal technology fund rules require some filtering). But in addition to using technological solutions, schools must actively teach their students to use the Internet with appropriate caution, developing the "filter between their ears." (Aftab, 2004) In other words, while schools must protect their students in every way possible from having predators contact them there, the students must also understand the techniques such people use to draw them in, so they will know the warning signs.

In addition, the schools should take some administrative steps. The school should have a specific method for keeping online logs, as they might be evidence of something at some future time. Commercial software is available for this purpose. They should be familiar with Internet Crimes Against Children teams and follow their advice for keeping Internet access safe for their students.

Because of the kinds of protection available to schools, children and youth may actually be safer online there than at home. However, denying our youth computer access at home might be like throwing the baby out with the bathwater. Computer literacy will be crucial for tomorrow's adults. However, parents need to realize that statistically their children are more vulnerable online at home because schools can impose rules and restrictions not really feasible for most families (Aftab, 2004). Laws such as COPPA, or the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act, helps protect youth in theory (Aftab, 2004). However, predators are unlikely to ignore its requirements that sites not collect information without parental permission. With i-CARE's discovery that children and teens may be reluctant to tell their parents about serious online problems, parents must work hard to keep those lines of communication open.