Bad Guy Patrol - Grown-Up Stuff.

Start talking about Internet safety now.

Right now, your children may be too young for instant messaging and chat rooms, but they are never too young to learn about Internet safety. The fact is that kids as young as five are already being asked for personal information on their favourite websites. If your children get into the habit of providing personal information, even on sites you consider safe, they are more likely to do so on more risky online environments. If you can teach them the rules of staying safe on the Internet now, they are far less likely to be at risk when they are older.

Here are some facts about kids on the web:

• 90% of Canadian kid's favourite websites contain registration procedures where kids are asked to submit personal information - some examples are: neopets, myscene, candystand
• 66% of students in Grades 4 to 11 use instant messaging:
  • 28% in Grade 4
  • 43% in Grade 5
• 22% of students in Grades 4 to 11 have a web cam
  • 14% in Grade 5
• 89% of Grade 4 students play online games
• 33% of Grade 4 students use email
• 15% of Grade 4 students communicate in chat rooms, and this increases to 23% by Grade 5.

(Media Awareness Network , Young Canadians in a Wired World Phase II, 2005)

Why we should be worried

Kids love the Internet. They can play games, do homework and chat with friends. But it can be a dangerous place for a child that does not know the rules. Internet predators actively search for children to exploit. They manipulate and lure them by lying or possibly posing as a child themselves. The Internet may seem like a scary place, but there are things parents can do to help their children stay safe online. Learning about the Internet and Internet safety is one of them.

What kids are doing online

Gaming

Computer games have changed a lot over the years. With interactive technology today, kids are able to play games with unlimited players from around the world. Parents need to be aware that their children can talk to strangers online.

Here are some other things to keep in mind if your child likes to play online games:

• Make sure the games are appropriate for your child and do not contain sexually explicit, graphically violent material.
• Review the game guidelines or rules.
• Find out your child's login and password information, including their username or character name. Make sure they have not provided identifying characteristics about him/herself.
• Check to see if your child is required to create an online profile to join. If he/she does, make sure they have not given their real name, city, or address.
• See if the game provides more options for older players. If it does, see if your child has lied about his/her age to get more options.
• If there is an interactive chat component in the game, see if it can be turned off.
• See if the game has a message board where players can post comments.
• See if players e-mail each other back and forth or send each other attachments.
• If the game has a friend or buddy list, check who is on your child's buddy list.
• If your child is playing interactive games, make sure the players first need to get your child's permission before they can begin chatting.

Chat rooms

Chat rooms allow two or more people to 'speak' over the Internet using text messages. They are really popular with children and teens. People often use aliases in chat rooms because no one can tell if they are lying. Chat rooms are divided by channels to indicate the topic of conversation. People can hold private conversations by agreeing to leave the chat room for a private conversation. Some chat rooms are monitored for inappropriate content, but many are not. Predators often lurk on chat rooms to lure children into private conversations for possible sexual abuse.

Examples of sites that include chat component: neopets, Habbo Hotel, RuneScape

Instant messaging systems

Kids also like to instant message each other. Instant messaging systems alert users when someone wants to chat with them. Instant message chats have an 'invisible' mode that allows for private conversations between individuals. Instant messenger directories allow strangers to find people with whom they have a common interest, creating an opening for cyber predators.

Who's at risk?

Kids like to meet people and make friends on the Internet. It is important to remember that all kids are at risk from Internet predators.

• 74% of Alberta parents surveyed believed children are at high or extremely high risk of sexual exploitation online.
• 51% of these same parents believed that their own children faced a much lower risk.
• And only 24% said their own children were at serious risk of online sexual exploitation.

(Alberta Children's Services, Omnibus Alberta ' Online Safety, January 2006)

We do know that Internet safety rules do reduce risk for young children. In homes where there was a rule about appropriate websites, only 14% of children in Grade 6 and 7 reported going to the sites, When there were no rules in the home 43% visited these sites. (Media Awareness Network, Young Canadians in a Wired World Phase II, 2005)

Tactics predators use

Here are some things predators do:

• Try to get kids to erase records of their conversations. That way if there's trouble, adults or police won't have any evidence.
• Tell kids that their parents will be mad if they find out about their relationship. That way the kids will be afraid to tell their parents.
• Pretend to have the same interests as kids in order to gain trust.
• Encourage kids to reveal fears and secrets. It's easier for children to talk to them because it's not face-to-face.
• Try to find out private information about family, friends, school or where they hang out.
• Send inappropriate pictures or ask for photos or videos.
• Offer money or gifts for things like photos and videos.
• Use Internet lingo to try and pretend to be kids in chat rooms and IM.

What you can do

Talk to your kids. The best way to ensure your children are safe is to keep the lines of communication open. If your children are open to talk to you about their Internet experiences, you must respond in an open-minded, non-judgmental manner. Being angry with them will close down valuable lines of communication and increase their risk of exposure to online predators. The best thing you can do for your children is be someone they can trust and turn to if a predator targets them online.

And remember, the Internet is their world. So don't act like an authority because they may know more about the technology than you do. If you don't know how to use the Internet - learn. You may surprise yourself at how easy, informative and enjoyable you find it. And you'll be up to speed on your kids' world.

Internet Safety tips

Tips for kids under 7

• Sit with your kids when they are playing games or doing homework online.
• Limit your kids to websites that are on their list of favourites or "bookmarked" sites. That way you know exactly what they are doing.
• Find kid-friendly search engines with parental controls.
• Put your computer in a high traffic family room so you can see what your kids are doing.
• Talk to your kids about privacy. Remind them not to give out names, addresses, phone numbers etc.
• Help your children come up with a username or pretend name if they are on a site that offers personalization.
• Disable Java on your computer or use blocking software to prevent popups.
• Don't allow your child to use instant messaging, e-mail, or chat rooms at this age.
• Try to encourage your children to talk to you about their Internet experiences. Be open and non-judgmental if they tell you something bad.
• Create an Internet contract or agreement for you and your children to sign. Here's an example. Family contracts

Tips for kids 8 to 10

• Make family Internet rules with input from your kids.
• Learn the chat room and IM language your kids use so you know what they are talking about. www.netlingo.com
• Sit with your kids when they are playing games or doing homework online.
• Put your computer in a high traffic family room so you can see what your kids are doing.
• Use kid-friendly search engines with parental controls. Create a family e-mail account so that you can see who they are emailing.
• Encourage your kids to come to you before they sign up for chat rooms, message boards, registration forms, personal profiles and online contests.
• Encourage them to block messages and conversations from people they don't know.
• Don't allow them to instant messaging at this age.
• Let them use monitored chat rooms and message boards on reputable kids' sites only and with your permission.
• Talk to your kids about new online friends that they are meeting and new sites they are visiting.
• Encourage your kids to come to you if they have a bad experience. Just make sure you are open and non-judgmental.
• Create an Internet contract or agreement for you and your children to sign. Here's an example. Family contracts

General Safety Tips:

Talk to your kids about predator tactics. That way they'll know when someone is trying to lure them.

Encourage your children to tell you about their Internet friends. Listen for strategies predators use, like:

• asking if parents are monitoring conversations
• suggesting that they go to a private chat room to talk
• asking personal questions.

Your kids should NEVER give out personal information on the Internet. That includes:

• Full (first and last) name
• Address
• Name of school
• E-mail address
• Phone number
• Passwords
• Social insurance number
• Mother's maiden name
• Parent's place of work

No photos

Remind your children that it's a bad idea to send photographs over the Internet. That applies to you too. Once you press SEND, you don't know what's going to happen to those photos. If you're sending photos or video clips to a friend or relative, it's a good idea to always get confirmation that they've received the email. And tell people not to forward photos.

No web cams

Many predators have hardware attached to their computers that allows them to record the live broadcast and save it. The predator can then trade or sell the images. Insist that your children DO NOT have web camera conversations with someone they met online.

No meetings

DO NOT let your children have face-to-face meetings with people they meet on the Internet. They will be putting themselves in a dangerous situation. If they insist on meeting an acquaintance they've met online, make sure you go with them.

If you think your child is being targeted

If you suspect that a predator is talking to your child, shut down the program they are using.

• DO NOT make contact with the predator. That fuels the fire of the relationship and could interfere with a police investigation.
• DO NOT urge or bait a cyber predator. It could put you in serious danger.
• Report the incident to www.cybertip.ca or your local police. Cybertip monitors and assesses all of the reports sent to them. If something criminal has happened, they'll send the report to a law enforcement agency.
• Don't delete information from the computer archives, including images on video cams and cameras. Police need this kind of information to use as evidence against the criminals.