Internet Safety

1. Internet Safety

2. Agenda • On-Line Risks • Cyberbullying • My Space – Facebook • Texting/Pictures • Texting Codes • Safety Tips • Vocabulary • Websites on Internet Safety • Sources

3. On-Line Risks • Children of all ages are flocking to the Internet. 45% of children in the US more than 30 million of those younger than 18 use the Internet. • There’s useful and educational information available on the Internet, a great deal of content exists that is not appropriate for children. • Children could be targets of cyberstalking or harassment that includes repeated and unwanted contact through the Internet that is rude or threatening. • Other dangers include sexual exploitation or enticement. Sexual predators may target children online while maintaining relative anonymity. • Thus parents and educators need to carefully supervise children's activities while they are on the Internet.

4. On-Line Risks – cont. • Sexual predators frequent various chatrooms looking for children. • Children of all ages have a lack of emotional maturity that can make them more susceptible to manipulation or intimidation. • They have a strong desire for attention, validation, and affection along with a lack of caution or self-preservation. • It is also important to note that children may become involved in criminal activity on the Internet. • It’s important to note that children may be hesitant to tell a trusted adult if they are approached in an inappropriate way because of feelings of embarrassment or tattletale.

5. Cyberbullying • Definition: sending or posting harmful or cruel text or images using the internet or digital communication devices. WHAT TO REPORT: • Anyone you don't know who asks for your personal information, photos, or videos • Inappropriate or obscene material from people or companies you don't know. • Misleading URLs that direct you to sites containing inappropriate materials instead of what you were looking for. • Anyone who sends you photos or videos containing obscene content of individuals 18 and younger (the possession, manufacturing, or distributing of child pornography is illegal). • Anyone who asks you to meet in person for sexual activities— no one should make sexual invitations to you online.

6. My Space & Facebook • Always remember that everything shared on MySpace is out there for everyone to see. This means that you are sharing private information with people who pose no threat and also with those who could prove to be dangerous. • If there are things you don’t want everyone to know, do not post them on MySpace. Also, think twice before you give out your phone number, address, specific whereabouts or IM screen names. • Pictures on these sites will and can be valuable bits of information and maybe used for law enforcement. • Check, Double Check, Triple Check and check, check, check!

7. Texting/Pictures • One of the quickest ways to communicate and can be done in code. • Providers may have tools such as GPS Locators. Check with your provider for services. • Picture mail – check their history. • Parents can check their child’s location by asking them to take a picture with them in at the moment. • Check their histories…go through their messages and pictures. You pay the bill.

8. Texting Codes AML - All my love AYSOS - Are you stupid or something? B/C - Because BTDT - Been there, done that CD9 - Code 9 (Parents are around) CTO - Check this out GMAB - Give me a break H&K - Hugs and Kisses H4U - Hot for you IDTS - I don't think so. IYD - In your dreams KPC - Keeping Parents Clueless LKITR - Little kid in the room P&C - Private and confidential P911 - Parent alert RBTL - Read between the lines S^ - What's up ('sup) SLAP - Sounds like a plan TAP - Take a pill TAW -Teachers are watching TISL - This is so lame WAI What an idiot BF - Boy Friend BFF –Best Friends Forever CRS - Can't Remember Sh** PM - Private Message POS – Parent Over Shoulder

9. Safety Tips • Don’t give out personal information about yourself, your family situation, your school, your telephone number, or your address. • Do not meet someone or have them visit you without the permission of your parents. • Tell your parents right away if you read anything on the Internet that makes you feel uncomfortable. • Remember that people online may not be who they say they are. Someone who says that "she" is a "12-year-old girl" could really be an older man. • Communication: The best way to know what your child is doing online is to ask. • Monitoring: keep checking on them. • Parents should always know all usernames and passwords.

10. Vocabulary • Blog (short for web log) - A web log is usually defined as a personal or noncommercial web site that uses a dated log format. A web log is updated frequently and sometimes groups links by specific subjects, such as politics, news, pop culture, or computers. • Chat - Real-time communication over the internet. You type and send messages that appear almost instantly on the computer monitors of the other people who are participating in the chat. • Chatroom - An interactive forum where you can talk in real-time. The chatroom is the place or location online where the chat is taking place. Many chatrooms are established so that people can discuss a common interest like music or movies. • Cookie - A small file that is downloaded by some web sites to store a packet of information on your browser. These packets include information such as login or registration identification, user preferences, and online "shopping-cart" information. • Cyberstalking/Harassment - Terms that can refer to the online enticement of children; rude or threatening messages; slanderous information; or repeated, unwanted messages. Discussion Group - A group of people who exchange information about a common topic. • Download - Putting information on your computer. You can download information from the internet, discs or CDs, and other computers.

11. Vocabulary – cont. • Emoticons - Animated faces that express different emotions you can send in e-mails, chat, and Instant Messaging. Emoticons are a way to show someone online how you are feeling. • File-Sharing Programs - Programs that allow many different users to access the same file at the same time. These programs are usually used to illegally download music and software. • Filtering Software - Different methods to screen unwanted internet content including whitelisting, blacklisting, monitoring activity, keyword recognition, or blocking-specific functions such as e-mail or Instant Messages. • Firewall - This is a system that creates a special "wall" used by network servers to separate their Intranet from the internet. It keeps out unwanted information like spam and viruses and unwanted people like hackers. • Flaming - Sending a deliberately confrontational message to others on the internet. • Hacker - A popular term for someone who accesses computer information either legally or illegally. • History - A list of web sites the people using a particular computer have visited. Viewing the history can be used to monitor what sites your children have visited.

12. Vocabulary - cont. • Monitoring Software - Software products that allow parents to monitor or track the web sites or e-mail messages that a child visits or reads. • Mouse - A computer attachment that allows you to move the cursor and select links on your computer screen. • Mouse Trapping - A commonly used technique by pornography sites where a user gets "locked" in a web site. While surfing the internet it is possible to click a web site and have multiple undesirable web sites open. When this happens, you often cannot close or back out of the sites and must close your web browser completely. • Online Grooming - Using the internet to manipulate and gain trust of a minor as a first step towards the future sexual abuse, production, or exposure of that minor. Sometimes involves developing the child’s sexual awareness and may take days, weeks, months, or some cases years to manipulate the minor.

13. More Info… • NetSmartz.org • Isafe.org • Disney.com • School Website – Links • Google – type in search criteria

14. POOF