Sources for Teaching Digital Citizenship
These stats about internet safety for children will frighten you.
- 4,000,000 children, ages 7 to 17 are posting content to the Web everyday.
- 15,000,000 youth use Instant Messaging (texting and on-line chatting).
- 61% of 13-17 yr olds have a personal profile on social networking sites.
- 1 out of 17 kids have been harassed, threatened, or bullied.
- 1 in 5 children who use computer chatrooms have been approached over the Internet by pedophiles.
- 89% of sexual solicitations are made in either Instant Messages or chat rooms.
- 20% of children age 10-17 have been solicited sexually online; that’s 1 out of every 5 kids.
- There are 250,000 to 500,000 pedophiles in the United States, according to the U.S Department of Justice. This equates to 1 pedophile in every 100-200 Internet users.
- One third of kids have been contacted by a stranger and half of these were considered inappropriate.
- 75% of youth who received an online sexual solicitation did not tell a parent.
- 14% have actually met face to face with a person they have met on the Internet.
- 9 out of 10 parents will never know that any inappropriate contact has occurred.
- When asked how they responded the last time they were contacted online by a complete stranger, just 3% of online teens said they told and adult or authority figure.
- 48% of 16-17 yr olds report that their parents know “very little” or “nothing” about their online activities.
- 95% of parents don’t recognize the lingo kids use to let people know that their parents are watching.
A feeling of panic can settle over you when you read these statistics. My first impulse was to pack up, sell the house, and move to a remote piece of land, away from all modern technologies. But let’s face it, that is not realistic. Like it or not, our kids are going to be faced with managing their on-line persona either now or later. Best to teach them and actively learn with them, then leave them to work it out themselves.
Policies for a Safer Home in a Technology World:
Remain positively engaged. Pay attention to and know the online environments your children use. Appreciate your children’s participation in their online communities and show interest in their friends. Try to react constructively when they encounter inappropriate material. Make it a teachable moment.
- Play on-line games with them. Sit beside them, and ask them to teach you how to play.
- Join Facebook and engage with them. In our house you have to be over 13 ( Facebook’s age policy) AND friend Mom and Dad to be on Facebook. You have to demonstrate responsible behavior to keep the account.
- Friend your children’s closer friends. Get to know your child’s friends, in person first. Encourage your close like-minded PowerMoms, to friend your kids in person and then on Facebook. Role-model good digital citizenship.
Protect your hardware. Safety and security start with protecting all family computers. Install a security suite (antivirus, antispyware, and a firewall) that is set to update automatically. Keep your operating system, Web browser, and other software current as well, and back up computer files on a regular basis.
Know the protection features of the Web sites and software your children use. Your Internet service provider (ISP) may have tools to help you manage young children’s online experience (e.g., selecting approved Web sites, monitoring the amount of time they spend online, or limiting the people who can contact them) and may have other security features, such as pop-up blockers. Third-party tools are also available. But remember that your home isn’t the only place they can go online.
Review the privacy settings of social networking sites, cell phones, and other social tools your children use. Decide together which settings provide the appropriate amount of protection for each child.
Teach critical thinking. Help your children identify safe, credible Web sites and other digital content, and be cautious about clicking on, downloading, posting, and uploading content.
Explain the implications. Help your children understand the public nature of the Internet and its risks as well as its benefits. Be sure they know that any digital info they share, such as emails, photos, or videos, can easily be copied and pasted elsewhere, and is almost impossible to take back. Things that could damage their reputation, friendships, or future prospects should not be shared electronically.
Help them be good digital citizens. Remind your children to be good “digital friends” by respecting personal information of friends and family and not sharing anything about others that is potentially embarrassing or hurtful. Be a role-model with your own internet usage.
Just saying “no” rarely works. Teach your children (especially those college-age kids, who may not live in your house) how to interact safely with people they “meet” online. Though it’s preferable they make no in-person contact with online-only acquaintances, young people may not always follow this rule, so talk about maximizing safe conditions:
- Meet only in well-lit public places.
- Always take at least one friend.
- Tell a trusted adult about any plans they make – including the time, place, and acquaintance’s contact information (at least a name and cell phone number).
- Limit sharing personal information with new friends.
Empower your children to handle problems, such as bullying, unwanted contact, or hurtful comments. Work with them on strategies for when problems arise, and agree on steps to take if the strategy fails.
- Talk to a trusted adult.
- Resist retaliating.
- Calmly talk with the person.
- Block the person.
- File a complaint.
Encourage your children to be “digital leaders.” Help ensure they master the safety and security techniques of all technology they use. Support their positive and safe engagement in online communities. Encourage them to help others accomplish their goals. Urge them to help if friends are making poor choices or being harmed. Consider a school safe-internet mentorship program.
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