Is My Child Safe on the Internet?

The Internet

The digital headquarters of the Information Age . . . A bold, unexplored frontier . . . The town square of the global village. . . But are there any play grounds in cyberspace? Will children be able to "surf" without encountering a digital version of a raincoated degenerate?

The Internet has grown beyond its origins as a survivable Department of Defense computer network. It is now a valuable communications and information tool for all. While much of the information on the Internet is general in nature, some is specifically targeted to specific audiences.

Children using the Internet can rapidly research topics of interest. If, for example, a child is doing a report on African music, he or she could visit an Internet site dedicated to music from Africa. This site would likely have short reports concerning all phases of the music genre. And with recent multimedia advances for the Internet the student may also see pictures or movies of people performing or be able to hear samples of the music. Amazingly this resource can come to your home for less than a dollar a day!

In the Information Age, access to the world's wealth of digital information is very important to everyone; especially students. There are many positive experiences waiting to be had in cyberspace if one proceeds with caution.

TIME Magazine & "Cyberporn"

It wasn't until the Internet was operational for nearly thirty years that many Americans realized its existence as well as the potential and pitfalls of this resource.

TIME magazine devoted their July 3, 1995 issue to discussing a study on pornography in cyberspace. The cover story (On a screen near you: Cyberporn) touched a nerve among Americans and sparked a debate in Congress. While quoting the article on the floor of the House, a Representative said that it was his understanding (via TIME) that 83 percent of all images on the Internet are pornographic.

Upon re-examination though, the study that the TIME article was based on was discovered to be full of inconsistencies and false conclusions; including the figure on the number of pornographic images. First, it was determined that most of the information gathered was from bulletin board services, not the Internet. Second, the 83 percent figure was seriously challenged by additional figures within the original study. It was determined that this figure represented Usenet sites, not all sites, as the article led the Congressman to believe. Further, only 3 percent of Usenet messages were pornographic and Usenet only represents 11 percent of the Internet's traffic. Therefore, the pornographic images in question seem to represent less than one half of 1 percent of all Internet traffic according to another part of the same study!

One thing is clear to veteran Internet users -- surfing in dangerous waters yields questionable returns. To put this another way, people wouldn't be surprised to find pornographic magazines for sale in a city's red-light district. Likewise, people shouldn't be surprised with what they find at the Penthouse site or in the alt.sex newsgroup. Encouragingly, veteran Internet users with years of experience online agree that it would indeed be odd to be unexpectedly bombarded with pornography or other deviations. These online users even have a difficult time envisioning such a scenario occurring.

The point is, the Internet has questionable sites just as some books have questionable chapters, and some neighborhoods have questionable residents. It is wise to be concerned with Internet and how its content may influence a child. However, inaccuracies from the TIME magazine article appear to have exaggerated the issue and made people more concerned and more worried than was truly warranted.

Information from: "The Internet Advocate -- A Web-based Resource Guide for Librarians and Educators Interested in Providing Youth Access to the Net" (http://www.monroe.lib.in.us/~lchampel/netadv.html).

Online Basics

It has often been said that a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing. The following pitfalls are often made by new users that result in negative online experiences. Awareness of these hazards will help insure a safer surfing experience.

Not all online services are the Internet - Value added services like America Online offer Internet access, but they also offer things that are not typically on the Internet. For example, AOL's chatrooms are often assumed to be on the Internet, when they are, in fact, a service of that individual provider. Remember, if you don't like the suite of services that your service provider offers, change services.
There is no free lunch - Value added services (like AOL) or free services (like HotMail) often have to subsidize their income by allowing access to their user lists. When they sell their user lists to other companies, it can result in unsolicited email. You are not required to read or to open every piece of email you receive. It is best to delete unsolicited email messages without ever viewing them.
It all ends COM, right? - Not all web addresses end in COM. This is a common mistake that can be very troubling. A web address that ends ".com" means that it is a commercial site. Below is a listing of the standard web address endings.

edu	Higher Education Institutions
gov	US Federal Government
org	Not for Profit Organization
net	Internet Service Provider
mil	US Military
com	Commercial Site

Different types of sites end in different ways and the ending can make a big difference. Further, a web address can be exactly the same up to the last three letters, but that can make the site radically different. This was discovered by many people when they attempted to visit NASA to view picture of the Mars landing. Since NASA is a government agency, the proper address would end ".gov" rather than the more common, ".com". In this case, www.nasa.com was a pornographic web site, while www.nasa.gov had the pictures of the Mars landing. Before typing in a web address, think about what the most appropriate ending should be. If you don't know a web address, never guess. Look for your topic in a web index, like Yahoo or Hotbot.

Online Safety Basics

Here are some basic guidelines to keep in mind when children are online.

Be aware of excessive hours on the Internet.
Consider placing the computer in a "family room" in your home and make use of the Internet a family activity.
Monitor your modem and telephone bill. Adult bulletin board services are easy to access by any communications software. Check out any unfamiliar numbers on your phone bill.
Ask your children to show you where they go online. Depending on your comfort with cyberspace, they may also be able to teach you a thing or two about navigation!
Create some online use rules with your children. Post these rules near the computer and make sure that they are followed. Online rules should include a prohibition of disclosing personal information (e.g. name, address, phone number, etc.). Rules should also include discussing that "online friends" may not always be who they say they are. In cyberspace there is nothing preventing a 40-year-old-man from claiming that he is a 9-year-old-girl. On the following page is an example of a parent/child online use agreement. Tear it off and post it near your computer if you wish.
Although not a substitute for direct parental involvement, consider using online filtering or monitoring software. Programs like Net-Nanny or CyberPatrol allow parents to customize what sites can and cannot be accessed. Not all software (e.g. SurfWatch) gives parents such options.

Information from: "SafeSurf's Internet Lifeguard Presents: Tips for Safer Surfing" (http://www.safesurf.com/lifegard.htm)

My Contract for Online Safety

1. I will tell my parents right away if I come across any information, pictures, movies or other items that makes me feel uncomfortable.

2. I will not give out my address, telephone number, or the name and location of my school to anyone online without my parent's permission.

3. I will never agree to get together with someone I "meet" online without first checking with my parents. If my parents agree to the meeting, I will be sure that it is in a public place and bring my mother or father along.

4. If I get a message that is mean, or makes me feel uncomfortable, I will not respond. It is not my fault if I get a message like that, and I will tell my parents if I do so they might try to make these messages stop.

5. I will work with my parent so that we can set up rules for going online. We will decide upon the time of day that I can be online, the length of time I can be online, and areas that I am allowed to visit. I will not access other areas or break these rules without their permission and without my mother or father being with me.

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Based on: "The Internet Advocate -- A Web-based Resource Guide for Librarians and Educators Interested in Providing Youth Access to the Net" (http://www.monroe.lib.in.us/~lchampel/netadv.html).