What You Need to Know About Internet Safety PTA Council February 15, 2006

Internet is Global  The Internet is a global network of networks  No single country can set the rules  Community standards vary by community  It relies on self regulation

Benefits of the Internet  Instant Communications  , chat, school, club and company web sites  News and Reference  every major newspaper now online  encyclopedias  curriculum  Entertainment  movie guides, music, online videos and much more  Commerce  Shop, find plane schedules and travel bargains, sell via the net

Most People Have Good Experiences  Most people do not run into serious problems  There are far more great sites than sites that are inappropriate  There are ways to minimize risk and maximize benefits  You are at a far greater risk in the “off-line” world than you are online

A Computer is Not a Baby Sitter  There are some risks  Parents and educators must work with children/students  Guide students and learn from them

When You’re Online You’re in Public  Kids can communicate with others via   chat  newsgroups  web pages  Using  words, pictures, sound, video

There are some risks  Exposure to inappropriate material  Physical harm or child missing  Harassment

MySpace.Com A place for young people to blog

Blogs  Personal journals posted on the Internet  Entries posted in reverse chronological order  Each entry contains area of comments from readers  Blogging is social event (gets attention while hiding behind computer)

Teens and Blogs  Pros  Nurtures social skills  Fills need for self expression  Builds writing skills  Cons  Online sexual predator gleans info to create profile of the author  Anonymity can give rise to cyberbullying and slander

Some statistics  About one in five online teens between the ages of 12 and 17 [about 4 million people] has created a blog  A slightly higher number report having a personal Web page  A trend fueled by the availability of free, easy- to-use services like Facebook and MySpace Pew Internet and American Life Project

From their website: “Use MySpace to meet new friends, meet a new person and perhaps spark love interest, inform your circle of friends with info on current events, or start an organization or group with people that share the same ideas as yourself. The possibilities are endless and MySpace is a great tool to have.”

How MySpace works  Create a profile  Invite your friends  View your friends' profiles... and their friends' profiles  Browse and search other profiles  Contact your friends or make new friends

Why students join MySpace?*  Have fun  Share photos  Share journal entries  Make new friends *From the MySpace.com website

Concerns -- many students are:  Revealing personal info that can identify them  Pouring their hearts out  Posting provocative pictures  Discussing real or imagined sex lives  Berating and threatening one another  Recounting drinking and drug use

What Parents Can Do

How Parents Can Reduce Risks  Make sure children are only exchanging with people they/you know  Monitor general behavior and attitude  Discuss these rules and post them near the computer as a reminder  Remember to monitor compliance with these rules, especially when it comes to the amount of time your children spend on the computer

Guidelines for Parents/Educators (1)  Never give out identifying information in public message  On a bulletin board  In a chat room  Using Instant Messenger  Identifying information includes:  home address, school name, or telephone

Guidelines for Parents/Educators (2)  Get to know the Internet and any services students use  Ask students what they do online  Become familiar with all the things that you can do online

Guidelines for Parents (3)  Place the computer in a family room or other “public” part of the house. Not in a child’s bedroom.  Be involved with your child’s use of the Internet. Surf together Reinforce good habits Have your child teach you!

Guidelines for Parents (4)  Never allow a child to arrange a face-to- face meeting with another computer user without parental permission.

Guidelines for Parents (5)  Never respond to messages or bulletin board items that are suggestive, obscene, belligerent, threatening, or make you feel uncomfortable.  Encourage children to tell you if they encounter such messages.  Help them understand that it is not their fault  Don’t overreact or punish your child for confiding in you

Game Time!!  HHH website  Staff and Human Resources Staff Presentations -- Internet Safety  Identify the Bad Guys  Just a Chat

What We Are Doing? What Can We Do?

Internet Safety and Staff  Educating teachers and administrators  Working with teachers to prepare age appropriate lesson plans

Internet Safety and Students  Elementary Level  Internet Safety lessons given by librarians as part of Character Education program  Middle School Level  Upcoming advisories devoted to Internet Safety  High School Level  Devoting class periods to Internet Safety lessons

Student Rules for Online Safety 1. I will not give out personal information such as my address, telephone number, parents' work address/telephone number or the name and location of my school without my parents' permission. 2. I will tell my parents right away if I come across any information that makes me feel uncomfortable. 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.

More Rules for Online Safety 4. I will never send a person my picture or anything else without first checking with my parents. 5. I will not respond to any messages that are mean or in any way make me feel uncomfortable. It is not my fault if I get a message like that. If I do I will tell my parents right away so that they can contact the online service. 6. I will talk with my parents 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 appropriate areas for me to visit. I will not access other areas or break these rules without their permission.

Report Illegal Material  Child pornography or any other illegal activities directed at children should be reported to the CyberTipline at

Resources  HHH website  Our District For Families  HHH Community Library   Pew Internet and American Life Project  Teens and Technology Teens and Technology

 Disney’s CyberNetiquette Comix ( ( disney.com Disney’s CyberNetiquette Comix  Librarian's Guide to Cyberspace org/parents/) Librarian's Guide to Cyberspace

Resources  SafeKids.Com ( SafeKids.Com  SafeTeens.Com ( SafeTeens.Com  America Links Up ( America Links Up This is a partial listing. You’ll find more at the SafeKids.Com “other sites” linkother sites

 National Center for Missing and Exploited Children ( National Center for Missing and Exploited Children  CyberTipLine ( CyberTipLine  FBI ( nts/ FBI  CyberAngels ( CyberAngels

Questions???