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Parent's Guide to
Children's Online Safety
Nearly all American children now have access to the Internet at home, in
school, or at public libraries. Internet technology affords children access
to vast amounts of valuable information and endless sources of
entertainment. However, it also exposes children to certain dangers. For
example, children may come into contact with pornographic web sites, SPAM (unsolicited
emails) containing obscene material file swapping programs with
inappropriate and sometimes mislabeled media content, or information about
violent or hateful speech. They could also encounter actual predators who use the Internet to identify and lure their victims.
As a
result, some parents may understandably feel the urge to eliminate these
risks by completely cutting off their children's access to the web.
However, a decision to prohibit children from using the web would deprive
them of access to an amazing resource for legitimate information and
communication. Parents might also find it impractical to enforce such
prohibitions. For instance, motivated children and teens could circumvent
their parents' rules by getting online in schools, libraries, web cafes,
their friends' homes, or by using mobile phones and other devices. For
these reasons, it is important for parents to strike a balance between the
benefits that the Internet offers their children and the risks that it
poses. Parents can achieve such a balance by communicating with their
children about the dangers on the web and by taking other protective steps
like those discussed below.
Communicating the Risks to your Children
Communicating
with children about the risks that they can encounter online is the most
important step in keeping them safe while they surf. Many parents find it
helpful to set down clear rules for their children to follow. Examples of
rules include "no giving out your name or address," "no
posting your picture on public sites of any kind," or "no
chatting with strangers." Sometimes families find it helpful to design
formal Internet usage agreements or "contracts." See http://www.nap.edu/netsafekids/pro_set_guidelines.html for tips on
setting up those kinds of agreements.
Using Technology Tools to Protect Children
Filtering
and monitoring technologies can provide parents with additional tools.
Filtering technology consists of software that screens out some content
while allowing other material to flow through to its intended destination.
Parents can set up various filters to block material according to their
families' priorities and preferences. The technology is not perfect - some
desirable material may be accidentally blocked and some objectionable
material may slip through the cracks - but filtering programs generally
serves the useful purpose of automatically and consistently screening out
harmful material. Filtering technology comes in several forms:
- Client-side
filters: Users install client side filters on their own
computers. Parents can employ user-friendly interfaces or screens to
set up the kinds of materials that they want to block. Only people
with the password to the filter software can disable or turn off the
program.
- Content-limits
or Content-filters from Internet Service Providers (ISPs): Internet
Service Providers - the companies that connect your home computer to
the Internet -- usually offer the option to block adult or other kinds
of content. The ISPs advertise these family friendly services in their
promotional materials and in the companies' "terms of
services."
- Server-side
filters: Businesses and enterprises like schools or libraries
use these sophisticated filtering systems. Server-side filter systems
allow system administrators to vary the level of filtering for
different users. For example, a school district's library system could
use a more restrictive filtering system for students than for
teachers.
- Search engine
filters: Many search engines, such as Google and AltaVista
enable users to turn on the safety filter that limits search results
to appropriate material. While effective in screening out accidental
"hits" or results that include inappropriate content, search
engine filters do not restrict access to content if a surfer directly
types in a URL. Other search engines, such as Lycos and Yahoo!, offer
special children's versions of their search engines that permit
searches of only child-friendly sites.
Monitoring technology enables parents to supervise
children's Internet activity by reporting on their surfing activity. Some
monitoring software creates a digital record of the websites that children
visit and makes that information available for parents to later review. Likewise,
keystroke software makes a record of all of the keystrokes that a child
user makes, so that the parents can later review what their children typed.
Other variations and combinations of this software exist as well.
In addition, the Internet browser (such as Internet Explorer, Netscape, or
America Online) that children use to surf the web automatically tracks
useful information. Parents can easily review the browser
"history" file to see approximately 20 sites that have been most
recently visited by that browser. Parents can use this Internet history
function by clicking on the small downward shaped arrow in the address box
of their Internet browser. Along similar lines, parents can search their
computer's Internet "cache" files, which are system resources
that store a longer list of recently visited Internet sites. The simplest
way for parents to access the cache files is search for the word
"cache" using the computer system's search function; the search
function is typically found in the start menu in the bottom left hand
corner of the computer screen. Parents can gather information using their
computer's "cookies" records as well. Cookies are trace files
that contain information about Internet users and can provide additional
clues for parents about the kinds of sites that their children are
visiting. However, parents should recognize that technically skilled
children can edit or delete all of these kinds of records.
What to
do if a Problem Arises
National and
local law enforcement agents investigate criminal activities that may arise
from internet use. Parents should tell their children how to report
offensive material if they encounter it before they start surfing. That
way, the children have a constructive way of reacting to embarrassing or upsetting
materials. Parents who come across offensive material or hear about online
predators should document the online activities as much as possible and
report the activity to the ISP, local law enforcement or the local office
of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. In addition, parents can submit
tips to the National Center of Missing and Exploited Children for further
review by law enforcement: http://www.ncmec.org/missingkids.
U.S. Department of
Justice, Criminal Division ° Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section
(CEOS)
1400 New York Avenue,
6th Floor ° Washington,
D.C. 20530
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