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Playing it Safe on the Internet by LAWRENCE B. LAVEMAN, M.D., FAAP
But this world is an open frontier - not owned by anyone, with no boundaries or rules. It is timeless, spaceless and unregulated by governments, organizations or corporations. When you access information, tens of thousands of persons throughout the world can do the same. When you send information to an online location, others can read and react to it, immediately and objectively, throughout the world. This is a double-edged sword - you have the wonder of instantaneous access, at little to no cost, without regard to borders or regulations. But, there is a dark side to the online world - you must give up privacy, both known and often unknown, of yourself and your child, to benefit from this world. What we will discuss is how best to protect yourself and your child. The Internet is no different than the world around us - filled with people of all ages and interests. And just as we protect our children from the "dark alleys" of the world, so too must we protect them of the dangers from the Internet. Becoming Informed The first step is to become informed on how to best achieve this safety element on your home computer. There are reliable parentto- parent organizations that continuously monitor the Internet for potentially dangerous environments that our children might enter, by accident or deception. Cyberangels (www.cyberangels.org), one such organization, has been tracking the 'Net since 1995, and maintains chat rooms, informational pages and reporting forms on potentially inappropriate locations for children. They actively pursue cyberstalkers and harassers of children and adults, and have excellent strategies on how to best address these issues. Two recommended books are: The Parent's Guide to Protecting Your Children in Cyberspace, by Parry Aftab and Kids Online: Protecting Your Children in Cyberspace by Donna Rice Hughes and Pamela Campbell. Signing a Contract Just as parents set clear limits for children on acceptable behavior and activity in our community, so too may we do so for the electronic world. The use of the Internet is a privilege and we should define how our children may use it. A use contract is a perfect way to emphasize the importance of this idea. An example of such a contract is printed here (sidebar) and can be downloaded from www.cyberangels.org/cdm/safety/agreement.html.Creating a Safe Environment Through Prevention By taking simple steps, parents can help to protect children from the dark side of the e-world:
Purchasing Protective Software This is software that allows parents to maintain control of their child's access, in their absence. These products work on two principles: blocking and filtering. Blocking techniques use lists, which are updated periodically, of "bad" sites based on their URL (the "address" of the website), as reviewed by the manufacturer of the software product, and can be added to by the owner. Of the over 3 million websites in existence today, 160,000 new websites are registered each month as being potentially dangerous. Filters use lists of "bad words" that can be updated both by the manufacturer and the owner of the software. Both techniques have significant loopholes, as you can imagine - if the word "sex" is a filter, information on Essex County and sextuplets are also considered "bad" by the software. Four products are on the market that serve this function: NetNanny, CyberPatrol, CYBERSitter and Surfwatch. Each has strengths and weaknesses, which are reviewed at www.familyguidebook.com/chart.html. Relaxing and Enjoying the Online World Most importantly, let us not forget the joy the online world offers, bringing access to an environment unimaginable to us as children, and breaking down barriers of culture, language, and politics. Never forget that the Internet remains "99.44 percent pure." By taking safeguards, we can keep this environment peaceful for our children. My Agreement About Using the Internet I want to use our computer and the Internet. I know that there are certain rules about what I should do online. I agree to follow these rules and my parents agree to help me follow these rules: 1. I will not give my name, address, telephone number, school, or my parents' names, address, or telephone number to anyone I meet on the computer. 2. I understand that some people online pretend to be someone else. Sometimes they pretend to be kids when they are really grown ups. I will tell my parents about people I meet online. I will tell my parents before I answer any e-mails from people I meet online. 3. I will not buy or order anything online without asking my parents or give out any credit card information. 4. I will not fill out any form online that asks me for any information about myself or my family without asking my parents first. 5. I will not get into arguments or fights online. If someone tries to start an argument or fight with me, I won't answer him or her and will tell my parents. 6. If I see something I do not like or that I know my parents don't want me to see, I will click on the "back" button or log off. 7. If I see people doing things or saying things to other kids online I know they are not supposed to do or say, I will tell my parents. 8. I won't keep online secrets from my parents. 9. If someone sends me any pictures or any e-mails using bad language, I will tell my parents. 10.If someone asks me to do something I am not supposed to do, I will tell my parents. 11.I will not call or write to anyone I met online, unless my parents say it is okay. If anyone I met online calls or sends me anything, I will tell my parents. 12.I will never meet in person anyone I met online, unless my parents say it is okay. 13.I will not use something I found online and pretend it is mine. 14.I won't say bad things about people online, and I will practice good Netiquette. 15.I won't use bad language online. 16.I know that my parents want to make sure I am safe online, and I will listen to them when they ask me not to do something. 17. I will practice safe computing, and check for viruses whenever I borrow a disk from someone or download something from the Internet. ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ [ top ] |
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The online world can be a wonderful experience for children of all ages. It stimulates children's minds, gives them access to information through both sight and sound, allows them to access vast amounts of information to enrich their educational development and communicate in ways that we once thought impossible.
