Child+Online+Safety

toc =Introduction=

In a 2001 Canadian survey consisting of 5,682 students, ranging from ages 9 to 17 in schools across Canada, 99% of those students used the Internet at some point and almost 79% say they have Internet access at home ([|Parental Awareness of Canadian Children’s Internet Use]). The new generation of Internet-savvy children has access to the Internet at a much earlier age than that of their parents as well at a much higher risk. The innovation of the Internet has created a universe of interesting and useful information for today’s information-driven society, however it poses a greater danger to the masses of children. In order for children to have a safer experience on the Internet, the children and their parents must be informed about the potential risks involved. Parents should be aware of online safety measures and the many parental controls that are offered.

=What’s Out There: The Risks=

The potential risks involved with children using the Internet and witness inappropriate subject matter include the following:
 * pornography
 * “hate literature, cult information and drug lore” ([|Curtis 56])
 * chat rooms
 * instant messaging applications
 * e-mail
 * file sharing
 * physical molestation
 * harassment and bullying
 * viruses and hackers

Inappropriate Websites
There are websites that implement warning messages before entering its sexually explicit content, asking for an agreement that the web surfer is 18 years of age or older. These websites trust their visitors to be honest, although children may be curious and lie, just to see what is beyond that webpage.

Unsafe chat rooms
Then there are online chat rooms where pedophiles may lurk and wait for children so that they can pretend to be some other friendly person and lure the children into arranging a meeting. A lot of the chat rooms do not hold warning signs stating there may be inappropraite subject matter if there were any. Just out of curiosty, a child might roam into such chat rooms, and to engage in conversations that they may think interesting.

Hazy Point of Views
Pedophiles and predators must be taken in perspective. “Predators are a very tiny minority of the people on the Internet” ([|Wolinsky 16]). Isolating children from people on the Internet is not an answer, because the main reason the Internet is so powerful is because of the people. The most important thing is to educate children on ways in dealing with people of all types ([|Wolinsky 16]), in addition with the information on the Internet.

=Protection Acts=

Child Online Protection Act
Governments are also aware of the perils of the Internet, the US government had the Child Online Protection Act reinstated in 2001 ([|Gauntlett and Horsley 275]).

The Children Online Privacy Protection Act
//The Children Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA)// of 1998 does not allow the collection of personal information from children under the age of thirteen without the consent of a parent or legal guardian. The parent or guardian can give consent by e-mailing the company (Children's Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998). If any company does not follow the rules and polices under the COPPA Act, the company can be held accountable for criminal liability, resulting in fines of up to $50,000 and six months of jail for each offense committed under the COPPA Act ([|Ferrera et al. 36]).

For example the Federal Trade Commissions filed a law suite against Mrs. Fields Cookies for $100,000 and Hershey Foods for $85,000 for violating the requirements under COPPA. Both companies collected and/or used personal data from children that violated the requirements of COPPA. Mrs. Fields had collected personal information from children without having first obtained parental consent. Hershey Foods had parental consent before it collected information from children, but the company's method of obtaining consent did not comply with the requirements of COPPA. Both companies were charged with illegally collecting personally identifying information from children under 13 years of age without parental consent ([|FTC Imposes Largest COPPA]).

=Online Safety Steps=

[|American Online Canada] safety and security webpage aims to make the online environment a safe and rewarding experience for children. The company has developed Parental Controls, which will help:
 * monitor their online activity
 * maintain a healthy balance of on and offline time
 * approve e-mail contacts
 * decide which web sites they access
 * manage settings away from home
 * limit access to other software
 * get to know your children’s online world ([|Safety and Security])

What Parents Can Do

 * teach your children not to give out personal information — such as home address, school name, or telephone number to anyone or anywhere including online chat or newsgroups.
 * //do not allow// your child to arrange a face-to-face meeting with someone they had met online. If a meeting is taken place make sure it is in a public place such as a shopping mall, library, school or community center also be sure to accompany your child.
 * understand and learn the Internet and any services your child uses. If you don’t know how to do certain tasks ask your child to show you. Know your children’s online activities e.g. Are they online, do they e-mail and with whom ([|Magid]).
 * set up the security level on the computer that your child uses. Security can be set where there are pages that the child cannot browse into.

Child Supervision
The Canadian survey found 70% of children say their parents talk to them very little about what they do online and on the other side, 78% of parents say they talk a great deal or a fair bit to their children ([|Parental Awareness of Canadian Children’s Internet Use]). There is obvious some miscommunication between parent and child. The best thing parents can do is supervise their children while they are on the Internet.

Available Software and Websites
Filtering software available:
 * [|AOL’s Parental Controls]
 * [|CyberSitter]
 * [|NetNanny]
 * [|CyberPatrol]

Purchasing these programs can give “parents a false sense of security” ([|Kid-safe Surfing]), some may block useful websites. For instance, the word “breast” would block “breast” cancer sites and also some children may know ways to bypass these hurdles, like erasing their Internet’s history and cache from their computers.

There are also products, like [|E-Blaster], that can monitor almost everything, from websites, MSN Messenger chat logs to e-mail. “Obviously, there is no software product that can take the place of a close relationship with your child” ([|Ingram F7]). When parents spend time with their children while they are surfing the Internet, it will help both parties to communicate with each other about any uncertainties or questions that they may encounter.

Many websites are designed to educate parents: [|NetSmartzKids] teaches children what to watch out for online with interactive games and activities, their goal is to “extend the safety awareness of children to prevent victimization and increase self-confidence whenever they go online” ([|About Us]).
 * [|Be Web Aware]
 * [|Canadian Association of Internet Providers] (CAIP)
 * [|GetNetWise.org]
 * [|NetSafeKids]
 * [|WiredSafety]

Child-oriented search engines:
 * [|AOL@School]
 * [|Ask Jeeves For Kids]
 * [|Dibdabdoo.com]
 * [|KidsClick]
 * [|Yahooligans]

=Conclusion: The Most Important Thing=

It is very important for parents to recognize and address what their children are seeing and feeling from their encounters on the Internet. “There is a new generation of children that have been using new media since they were five years old…comfortable with this media and who are competent and responsible for its use” ([|Gauntlett and Horsley 282]). In the case of the Internet, children are way ahead of their parents and it is the parent’s responsibility to initiate their safe use online. The inappropriate websites, unmonitored chat rooms and instant messaging applications are some of the major threats to a child’s online safety and even with aid of filtering programs, education and child-oriented websites, parental supervision is the most important thing for children to learn and discover all the amazing resources on the Internet. “The method of action can be summed up in three words: educate, communicate, and supervise” ([|Wolinsky 16]).

=Related Links=

Internet Safety Issues Online Sex on the Web

=Works Cited=  “About Us.” //NetSmartz//. 20 Feb. 2006 <[|www.netsmartzkids.org/popups/aboutus.htm]>.

__Children's Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998__. Available from http://www.ftc.gov/ogc/coppa1.htm [accessed at 24 February 2006].

Curtis, Sara. “Policing Cyberspace.” //Maclean’s//. 19 Feb. 1996: 56-57.

Ferrera, Gerald, Lichtenstein Stephen D., Reder, Margo E. K., Bird, Robert C. and William T. Schiano. __Cyberlaw, Text and Cases__. U.S.A.: Thomson, 2004.

__FTC Imposes Largest COPPA Civil Penalties to Date: Children's__ __Online Privacy a Growing Concern__. 1994-2005. FindLaw for Legal Available at http://lp.findlaw.com/ [accessed at 24 February 2006].

Gauntlett, David and Ross Horsley, eds. //Web.Studies//. 2nd ed. New York: Oxford University Press Inc, 2004.

Ingram, Matthew. “Three Ways to Keep Track of Your Kid’s Cyber Life.” //Globe & Mail//. 16 Oct. 2004: F7.

“Kid-safe Surfing.” //Chatelaine//. 73:9 (Sept. 2000): 31.

Magid J. Lawrence J. (2003). Child Safety on the Information Highway. Available from: http://www.safekids.com/child_safety.htm#What_Are_the_Risks_ [accessed 23 February 2006].

“Parental Awareness of Canadian Children’s Internet Use (Canada).” Young Canadians in a Wired World: The Student’s View. June 2001. //Media Awareness Network//. 19 Feb. 2006 <[|www.media-awareness.ca/english/resources/research_documents/statistics/internet/parents_aware_kids_use.cfm]>.

“Safety and Security.” Parental Controls and AOL Guardian. 2005. //AOL Canada Inc//. 19 Feb. 2006 .

Wolinsky, Art. “WiredKids. Safe Use of the Internet.” //Multimedia Schools//. 7:4 (2000): 16.