Internet Safety Al RowellDirector of Technology, Lowndes County SchoolsFirst…Take A Deep Breath…..

Be reasonable and set reasonable expectationsCommunicate with your child. Discuss your values and standardsKeep the computer in a public area of the houseSet rules for Internet use when you are not homeBe aware of their online profiles and who their online friends areGeneral Internet Safety Guidelines

Use safe, bookmarked sitesUse Nettrekker. [Available to students of Lowndes County Schools]Browse with a parentCommunicate only with known friendsIf something bad or uncomfortable appears, turn off the monitor and tell an adult. [And parents, do not over-react or blame the child!]Younger Children

Allow freedom to explore new sites, but focus on your standards. Talk to your child about what sites are appropriate and whyIntroduce safety guidelines as appropriate for your child’s developmentRestrict communications to known friends and well-managed anonymous sites [VMK, Nick.com, imbee.com, Club Penguin]MonitorOlder children (but still pre-teen)

Be aware of the content of your child’s online profile and insist that it is private.Have open discussion about their sexual interests and the dangers of chatting about sex online, especially with strangers.Set expectations about how they treat other people online, and keep communications open so they will tell you if they have problems with others online.Be wary of free file-sharing programs: Bit-Torrent, iMule, Limewire, and more..And your teens….

Myth 1. One in 7 youths have been targeted online by a sexual predator.Myth 2. Internet predators pretend to be youths and hide their intention prior to an abduction.Myth 3. Having a profile on MySpace or other social-networking site places youths at risk.Avoid Internet Predator Hysteria

One in seven youths reported a request to talk about sex, but most were from other youths.Two-thirds said they did not see the solicitation as seriousAlmost all responded by blocking the solicitor, leaving the site, or telling the person to stop.BUT 1 in 25 did receive an “aggressive” solicitation including attempts to meet offline.Unwanted solicitations online

Only 5% of predators pretended to be youthsAlmost all tell their victims that their interest is sexual73% of the victims voluntarily met with the predator more than oncePredators rarely hide their intent

Youths with online profiles were no more likely to have had an aggressive sexual solicitation than youths who did not.Interviews with 400 police organizations did not turn up one stalking-abduction based on information posted on social-networking sites – “Online ‘Predators’ and Their Victims.” American Psychologist. Feb-March 2008.Youths should still be cautious about what they post onlineSocial networking

Some teens do not make good choices[Terms of use require that users be at least 13]Many parents are not paying sufficient attentionDangerous adults are attracted to environments where teens make bad choices and parents are inattentiveNancy Willard – A Briefing for Educators: Online Social Networking and Youth RiskSocial Networking Concerns

Do not pretend to be older than you areUse privacy settings on profilesAvoid posting personal contact, provocative, embarrassing information or picturesVideo: Bulletin BoardDo not engage in cyberbullyingAvoid excessive time onlineDo not meet online friends without a parent Social Networks Safety Tips for Teens

Most Internet sex offenders, in fact, do not target young children by posing as another youth, luring children to meetings, and then abducting or forcibly raping them. Instead, most online sex offenders target teens and seduce victims into sexual relationships. The teens most vulnerable to online sex offenders have histories of abuse, family problems, and tendencies to take risks both on- and off-line.Crimes Against Children Research Center. http://www.unh.edu/ccrc/12Online "Predators" and Their Victims

..in spite of public concern, the authors found that adolescents’ use of popular social networking sites such as MySpace and Facebook do not appear to increase their risk of being victimized by online predators. Rather, it is risky online interactions such as talking online about sex to unknown people that increases vulnerability, according to the researchers. http://www.apa.org/releases/sexoffender0208.html13The Greatest Risks to Teens

Posting personal information online, 56% of youth Internet usersInteracting online with unknown people, 43%Having unknown people on a buddy list, 35%Using the Internet to make rude and nasty comments to others, 28%Sending personal information to unknown people met online, 26%14Patterns of Risky Online Behavior

Downloading images from file-sharing programs, 15%Visiting X-rated sites on purpose, 13%Using the Internet to embarrass or harass people youths are mad at, 9%Talking online to unknown people about sex, 5%Wolak, Janis, David Finkelhor, and Kimberly J. Mitchell and Michele L. Ybarra. “Online ‘Predators’ and Their Victims: Myths, Realities, and Implications for Prevention and Treatment.” American Psychologist Feb-March 2008. Crimes Against Children Research Center. http://www.apa.org/journals/releases/amp632111.pdf15Patterns of Risky Behavior

The more high risk behaviors, the greater the likelihood of a youth being solicited sexuallyOf Internet users age 10-17, 15% were high risk—communicating online with unknown people and engaging in at least 4 other risky behaviors.16Risks of Aggressive Sexual Solicitation

Avoid descriptions of Internet risks that focus on deception and violence Talk to your youth frankly about how adults online can evoke and exploit sexual feelingsFocus prevention more on interactive aspects of Internet use and less on posting personal informationBe aware of patterns of risky behavior.17Prevention

Cyber bullying is defined as: threats or other offensive behavior sent online to a victim or sent or posted online about the victim for others to see. (Wolak, Mitchell, Finkelhor et al., 2006). Can be in form of email, text message, IM, or posting on a social networking site from someone who is threatening to cause physical harm. It might be rumors posted on an online profile or on a fake profile, or otherwise spread online for others to see. Cyberbullying

The Centers for Disease control report 9%-35% of youths report being embarrassed, harassed, or threatened by electronic means.13 states have cyberbullying laws, with California most recently enabling schools to suspend or expel cyberbulliesIncidence of Cyber Bullying

Case of Megan Meier. Sarah Drew, her mother Lori, and Ashley Grills created a Myspace profile to manipulate and humiliate the 13-year-old who later hanged herself. Lori Drew was convicted on three misdemeanor accounts of unauthorized access.Case of Ryan Patrick Halligan. Ryan was bullied at school, and then embarrassing rumors were spread about him online. A girl pretended to be interested in him online but shared his instant messages to humiliate him. Another online youth encouraged his suicide.Cyberbullying and its Effects

Don’t post info others could use against youDon’t retaliateSave any evidenceResponse optionsTell the person to stopIgnore or block the userCommunicate with the parents of the userTalk to school officialsContact an attorney or law enforcementCyberbullying Responses

Communicate openly with your child, browse together, and learn from each otherBe careful about disclosing personal information onlineExplain that some adults will take advantage of young people’s desire for relationships, affection, and more.Set rules and discuss your values.Be the Parent!Things to Remember

NetSmartz from the Center for Missing and Exploited Children http://www.netsmartz.orgCrimes Against Children Research Center http://www.unh.edu/ccrc/Center for Safe and Responsible Internet Use http://csriu.org/Prevent Cyberbullying and Internet Harrassmenthttp://www.cyberbully411.comResources

www.delicious.com/locotechfor links to online references used in this presentation and more!For more information

I will turn off my computer monitor right away and tell a trusted adult if anything makes me feel scared, uncomfortable, or confused.I will tell my parents or guardian if anyone online asks me my name, my address, my telephone number, or the name and location of my school.I will tell my parents or guardian if anyone online asks to meet me in person.I will not use rude or mean language on the Internet.From netsmartz.orgInternet Safety Pledge for Grades K-2

I will talk with my parents or guardian so that we can set up rules for going online. The rules will include the time of day that I may be online, the length of time I may be online, whom I may communicate with while online, and appropriate areas for me to visit while online. I will not break these rules or access other areas without their permission.I will tell a trusted adult if I come across anything that makes me feel scared, uncomfortable, or confused. I will not download anything from anyone without permission from my parents or guardian.Internet Safety Pledge for Grades 3-6

I will never share personal information such as my address, my telephone number, my parents' or guardian's work address/telephone number, or the name and location of my school without my parents' or guardian's permission.Internet Safety Pledge for Grades 3-6

I will never respond to any messages that are mean or in any way make me feel scared, uncomfortable, or confused. If I do get a message like that, I will tell a trusted adult right away so that he or she can contact the online service. And I will not send those kinds of messages.I will never meet in person with anyone I have first “met” online without checking with my parents or guardian. If my parents or guardian agrees to the meeting, it will be in a public place and my parents or guardian must come along.Internet Safety Pledge for Grades 3-6