Overview

    What are the key issues of concern?
    −   'Internet addiction'
    −   Unmonitored access to content
    −   'Stranger Danger'
    −   Cyberbullying

    How do we tackle these concerns?
    −   Parental control software
    −   Talking with our children
    −   Plain common sense
Getting real ...

    New technologies have always been perceived as a
    potential danger
    −   Television in the 1950s / 1960s
    −   Music (radio and disc … lyrics, 'subliminal
        messages', ...)
    −   Computer games (1980s on)

    … though as a “corrupting influence”

    So what is different about the Internet?
    −   "Children don't go online--they are online. It's part of
        their everyday lives"
"Children don't GO online--they
         ARE online"
Too much of a good thing ...

    How many hours a day does your child spend
    online?

    Are you aware of / have you heard of 'Internet
    addiction'?

    Does your child have an active real-world social
    life?

    Do you place time restrictions on your child's
    Internet usage?
Internet addiction
“Robert Kraut, a psychologist at Carnegie
Mellon University, led a team who studied
people 'before and after' they used the Internet.
They found that greater use of the Internet was
associated with declines in participants'
communication with household family members,
declines in the size of their social circle, and
increases in their depression and loneliness”
(Blascovich and Bailenson, Infinite Reality,
2011)
Internet addiction
“Do you/they:
  Spend hours online without a break?
  Prefer to spend time on a computer over friends and
   family?
  Lie about the amount of time spent online?
  Hide what is done online?
  Check e-mail several times an hour?
  Hear family complaints about the amount of time spent
   online? … (cont'd ...)
Internet addiction
“Do you/they:
  Constantly think about being online—even when
   offline?
  Log on while at work or school instead of working or
   studying?
If the answer to even a couple of these questions
   is 'yes', you may have an addiction problem”.
(Blascovich and Bailenson, Infinite Reality, 2011)
“Where do you want to go
                 today?”

    What web sites is your child viewing?
    −   Do you supervise / monitor your child's internet
        usage?
    −   Have you spoken with your child about
        “inappropriate content”?
What is your child viewing?

    If you think your child has been viewing
    inappropriate content, report it to your ISP or to
    the content provider

    Look for “Report this picture” and similar
    buttons on web sites
Connecting with others

    The Internet of the 2000s is inherently social …
    −   Email
    −   Facebook
    −   Instant Messengers (Yahoo, MSN, AIM, …)
    −   MySpace
    −   Twitter
    −   Virtual worlds (Panfu, Club Penguin, Oloko,
        SmallWorlds, …, etc)
'Stranger Danger'

    "Talking to your child is the simplest and best way to keep up.
    After all who knows better what your children are up to online …
    other than your children!"
    −   What does your child do on the Internet?
    −   What web sites does he/she visit?
    −   Who does he/she chat with? And where?
    −   Who are your children's online friends?

    Ask him/her! (just as you would for real-world activities)

    Apply the same cautions as you would in the offline world:
    “Don't talk to strangers!”
What is a 'friend'?

    “What does a friend mean to you? And is that
    the same as what it means to your child?”
    −   'Friends' they've met in chat rooms or gaming sites,
        whom they have never met in real life
    −   Ease of adding new 'friends' … and the naturalness
        for your child of accepting a friend request
    −   Gives access to your (child's) personal information:
        what you look like, what you like, where you are,
        who else you know, … But how do you know whom
        you can trust? What is a 'friend'?
Facebook friends
         “Remember: the people you
         share with can always share
         your information with
         others”.

         Privacy is a collective
         responsibility!

         Do you know who your
         child's friends are?

         Does your child know who
         his/her friends are?!?!
Facebook privacy settings

                   "Remember: we
                   act differently
                   online to how we
                   do in the real
                   world.

                   It can be much
                   easier to say, do,
                   or reveal things
                   online when we're
                   hiding behind a
                   computer."
Facebook privacy settings
“I know where you live”

    What information is your child sharing online?
    −   Personal details? (school, home location, ...)
    −   Photographs?
    −   Videos?

    It's important that your children learn to think
    before they share. Once your content is online,
    you can lose control of it.
Social gaming and virtual worlds
How many worlds are there?
Children are largest user group
Habbo Hotel
Stardoll
Moshi Monsters
Bin Weevils
SmallWorlds
Chimpoo
Users by age group




70.3% of all virtual world users are (Q1, 2011) between the ages
of 5 and 15; and an extraordinary 84% between the ages of 8
and 20
Virtual worlds and social gaming

    Do you monitor how much time your child
    spends online?

    Do you know which social gaming worlds your
    child is using?

    Do you know who your child's in-world friends
    are?

    Have you talked with your child about personal
    safety when in a social gaming world?
Parental control systems

    Parental control systems for computer, Xbox,
    Playstation, and Wii
Cyberbullying
Cyberbullying

                In the south
                USA, one in 5
                children aged
                10 to 18 has
                reported being
                a victim of
                cyberbullying.

                Has your child
                been bullied?
                Don't wait till it
                happens—
                caution your
                child now!
Cyberbullying … online support
Other online support

                The Child Exploitation
                and Online Protection
                Centre at:

                http://ceop.police.uk
Other online support

                CEOP at
                ThinkYouKnow.co.uk
Other online support
Summing up ...

    Create a computer account for your child separate from
    your own, and (with younger children) ensure that only you
    know the password. Time-restrict usage.

    If using MS Windows, install anti-virus software.

    Talk with your child sensitively about the dangers of talking
    with strangers on the 'net. Ensure they know how to
    restrict publishing of, and access to, personal information.

    Talk with your child about 'inappropriate content'. If there's
    something you'd not want them to view on TV, then you'd
    not want them to view it on the 'net!
Summing up ...

    Set limits on the amount of time your child
    spends online

    Make sure your child takes regular screen
    breaks (at least 15 minutes in every hour)

    Ensure your child thinks before sharing pictures
    or videos; and explain why they should not give
    out personal information such as mobile phone
    number or address

    (cont'd ...)
Summing up … (2)

      Make sure your child knows to come to you if
    they are concerned about anything that
    happens online

     Parental control tools are helpful, but should
    never be seen as a substitute for personal
    engagement with your child
Some useful links

    Keeping children safe online
    −   http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/parents/yourchildshealthand
        safety/internetsafety/dg_071138

    Child internet safety
    −   http://www.mumsnet.com/internet-safety

    UK Council for Child Internet Safety
    −   http://www.education.gov.uk/ukccis

    Child safety online: a guide for parents
    −   http://www.guardian.co.uk/mcafee/child-safety-online

Playing safe

  • 2.
    Overview  What are the key issues of concern? − 'Internet addiction' − Unmonitored access to content − 'Stranger Danger' − Cyberbullying  How do we tackle these concerns? − Parental control software − Talking with our children − Plain common sense
  • 3.
    Getting real ...  New technologies have always been perceived as a potential danger − Television in the 1950s / 1960s − Music (radio and disc … lyrics, 'subliminal messages', ...) − Computer games (1980s on)  … though as a “corrupting influence”  So what is different about the Internet? − "Children don't go online--they are online. It's part of their everyday lives"
  • 4.
    "Children don't GOonline--they ARE online"
  • 5.
    Too much ofa good thing ...  How many hours a day does your child spend online?  Are you aware of / have you heard of 'Internet addiction'?  Does your child have an active real-world social life?  Do you place time restrictions on your child's Internet usage?
  • 6.
    Internet addiction “Robert Kraut,a psychologist at Carnegie Mellon University, led a team who studied people 'before and after' they used the Internet. They found that greater use of the Internet was associated with declines in participants' communication with household family members, declines in the size of their social circle, and increases in their depression and loneliness” (Blascovich and Bailenson, Infinite Reality, 2011)
  • 7.
    Internet addiction “Do you/they: Spend hours online without a break? Prefer to spend time on a computer over friends and family? Lie about the amount of time spent online? Hide what is done online? Check e-mail several times an hour? Hear family complaints about the amount of time spent online? … (cont'd ...)
  • 8.
    Internet addiction “Do you/they: Constantly think about being online—even when offline? Log on while at work or school instead of working or studying? If the answer to even a couple of these questions is 'yes', you may have an addiction problem”. (Blascovich and Bailenson, Infinite Reality, 2011)
  • 9.
    “Where do youwant to go today?”  What web sites is your child viewing? − Do you supervise / monitor your child's internet usage? − Have you spoken with your child about “inappropriate content”?
  • 10.
    What is yourchild viewing?  If you think your child has been viewing inappropriate content, report it to your ISP or to the content provider  Look for “Report this picture” and similar buttons on web sites
  • 12.
    Connecting with others  The Internet of the 2000s is inherently social … − Email − Facebook − Instant Messengers (Yahoo, MSN, AIM, …) − MySpace − Twitter − Virtual worlds (Panfu, Club Penguin, Oloko, SmallWorlds, …, etc)
  • 13.
    'Stranger Danger'  "Talking to your child is the simplest and best way to keep up. After all who knows better what your children are up to online … other than your children!" − What does your child do on the Internet? − What web sites does he/she visit? − Who does he/she chat with? And where? − Who are your children's online friends?  Ask him/her! (just as you would for real-world activities)  Apply the same cautions as you would in the offline world: “Don't talk to strangers!”
  • 14.
    What is a'friend'?  “What does a friend mean to you? And is that the same as what it means to your child?” − 'Friends' they've met in chat rooms or gaming sites, whom they have never met in real life − Ease of adding new 'friends' … and the naturalness for your child of accepting a friend request − Gives access to your (child's) personal information: what you look like, what you like, where you are, who else you know, … But how do you know whom you can trust? What is a 'friend'?
  • 15.
    Facebook friends “Remember: the people you share with can always share your information with others”. Privacy is a collective responsibility! Do you know who your child's friends are? Does your child know who his/her friends are?!?!
  • 16.
    Facebook privacy settings "Remember: we act differently online to how we do in the real world. It can be much easier to say, do, or reveal things online when we're hiding behind a computer."
  • 17.
  • 18.
    “I know whereyou live”  What information is your child sharing online? − Personal details? (school, home location, ...) − Photographs? − Videos?  It's important that your children learn to think before they share. Once your content is online, you can lose control of it.
  • 19.
    Social gaming andvirtual worlds
  • 20.
    How many worldsare there?
  • 21.
  • 22.
  • 23.
  • 24.
  • 25.
  • 26.
  • 27.
  • 29.
    Users by agegroup 70.3% of all virtual world users are (Q1, 2011) between the ages of 5 and 15; and an extraordinary 84% between the ages of 8 and 20
  • 30.
    Virtual worlds andsocial gaming  Do you monitor how much time your child spends online?  Do you know which social gaming worlds your child is using?  Do you know who your child's in-world friends are?  Have you talked with your child about personal safety when in a social gaming world?
  • 31.
    Parental control systems  Parental control systems for computer, Xbox, Playstation, and Wii
  • 32.
  • 33.
    Cyberbullying In the south USA, one in 5 children aged 10 to 18 has reported being a victim of cyberbullying. Has your child been bullied? Don't wait till it happens— caution your child now!
  • 34.
  • 35.
    Other online support The Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre at: http://ceop.police.uk
  • 36.
    Other online support CEOP at ThinkYouKnow.co.uk
  • 37.
  • 38.
    Summing up ...  Create a computer account for your child separate from your own, and (with younger children) ensure that only you know the password. Time-restrict usage.  If using MS Windows, install anti-virus software.  Talk with your child sensitively about the dangers of talking with strangers on the 'net. Ensure they know how to restrict publishing of, and access to, personal information.  Talk with your child about 'inappropriate content'. If there's something you'd not want them to view on TV, then you'd not want them to view it on the 'net!
  • 39.
    Summing up ...  Set limits on the amount of time your child spends online  Make sure your child takes regular screen breaks (at least 15 minutes in every hour)  Ensure your child thinks before sharing pictures or videos; and explain why they should not give out personal information such as mobile phone number or address  (cont'd ...)
  • 40.
    Summing up …(2)  Make sure your child knows to come to you if they are concerned about anything that happens online  Parental control tools are helpful, but should never be seen as a substitute for personal engagement with your child
  • 41.
    Some useful links  Keeping children safe online − http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/parents/yourchildshealthand safety/internetsafety/dg_071138  Child internet safety − http://www.mumsnet.com/internet-safety  UK Council for Child Internet Safety − http://www.education.gov.uk/ukccis  Child safety online: a guide for parents − http://www.guardian.co.uk/mcafee/child-safety-online