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When your children are granted access to the Internet, they are often just a click away from a virtual red light district. Parents should realize that 90 per cent of eight to 16-year-olds have encountered pornography online (most while doing homework).
Recently, my brother-in-law found his 10-year-old daughter using the family computer. When he came in, she quickly closed a window she was looking at on the web. Curious, the parents later looked at the browser’s history file. (Most browser applications produce a history. If you are searching for a previously visited site but lack an exact address, the history can be very helpful.) To their surprise, they found she had typed ‘vagina’ into an Internet search engine. Years ago, she might have looked up the word in a dictionary. Today, imagine the adult content she came across while using this word in an Internet search.
Many children’s book and film characters are often linked to adult content. (For instance, try typing ‘Bambi’ into your search engine.) Pornography is not the only objectionable content on the Internet, but it is the most widespread. Parents should also be aware of sites presenting hateful or violent messages.
Using an Internet filter can prevent most of these kind of experiences. Filter software applications work with your browser software to screen out objectionable content. Most filters work by scanning for certain keywords, such ‘porn’ or ‘gambling,’ and blocking sites containing those words.
Many software applications are designed to filter content. Some products offer control over the amount of time your child spends online. Most contain some form of ‘spyware’ that logs online activity, including attempts to view blocked sites.
Nearly all filtering products can prevent exposing personal information, such as your name and address. Your Internet service provider (ISP) may already have filtering software available to you. For example, America Online provides various ‘parental controls’ that allow you to set appropriate levels of access by age. If your ISP does not offer built-in filtering, you can purchase third-party applications that provide similar, and possibly better, filtering tools. Searching the Internet using the term ‘Internet filtering reviews’ will point you toward hundreds of options available to concerned parents. Your local software store can also provide several options for filtering.
Unfortunately, while using a filter helps keep your child out of the red light district, it can’t ban creeps from the Internet’s playgrounds. Filters do not protect kids from people who prey on children in ‘kid-friendly’ cyberspace. Sexual curiosity in children and adolescents is normal, and in itself, is not a huge concern. However, normal curiosity mixed with unsupervised surfing can be dangerous.
Just as pedophiles can haunt real playgrounds, they can use the Internet to stalk while remaining unidentified and anonymous. Cyberstalkers take advantage of normal childhood curiosity, adolescent angst and a false sense of security about using the Internet. Stalkers flatter, promise gifts, offer money, or just provide a shoulder to lean on, hoping to lure victims into meeting them in the real world. This type of stalking most often occurs in Internet chat rooms that allow users all over the world to type back-and-forth in real time.
Children and teens should be taught about danger signs and what conversations are appropriate. They must learn never to give out photos or personal information, including a real name or address. Any conversation that is inappropriate in the real world should also be avoided in cyberspace. While the old ‘don’t talk to strangers’ may be too strict here, kids can follow a new rule – ‘Don’t trust strangers!’ People may not be who they say they are, or the age they say they are. Children should never agree to meet someone they met on the Internet in the real world. Above all, make sure your kids know that they can always ask you for advice.
Another improper use of the Internet involves spyware. Most users know software can be downloaded from the Internet or sent directly as an e-mail attachment. When spyware is launched on a computer, it can gather and send out information without the user's knowledge. Spyware can be mislabeled to look innocent. For example, your child might download a file called ‘Bunny Hop.exe.’ Beware - while you are smiling at the cute hopping bunny, this application could be collecting your personal information. It then sends it to those who will use it inappropriately. If spyware arrives via e-mail, it’s a form of spam.
Spam . . . isn’t that a can of spiced ham? Not in the world of the Internet. Spam is slang for unrequested commercial email. This unwanted junk email is sent to large numbers of people in hopes that if even a tiny percentage of recipients respond, the sender will make money. Often spammers send out information about get-rich-quick schemes or pornography offers. Occasionally, they send out executable files (.exe) that do something you didn’t want them to do. The bottom line: never open executable files if you are unsure of the source – especially if they arrive via spam.
Another, more subtle danger of Internet use is the fact that kids are inactive while using it. Childhood obesity is the surest route to adult obesity. Ask your family doctor about your child’s BMI-for-age. (BMI, or body mass index, is a calculation to determine if a person is overweight.) In addition to promoting healthy eating, try to balance use of the computer with physical activity. For every hour spent on the computer, your child should spend as much or more time being active.
Your awareness, guidance and supervision are key to making the Internet a positive experience for your kids. Despite names like ‘Net Nanny’ or ‘Cyber Sitter,’ filtering applications are no substitute for adult supervision. Government task forces in the United States and Canada exist to reduce crimes against children. However, porn suppliers and cyberstalkers vastly outnumber law enforcement officials.
Above all else, talk to your children about Internet safety. Consider keeping your computer in a family room with the screen facing outward, and limit your children’s time online. For more tips and information, go to your favorite search engine and type in ‘Internet filter reviews’ or ‘Internet safety.’ As always, be available for your children.
FAMILY HEALTH is written with the assistance of |
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