Clipmarks | edtechnnorris's 'internet safety' clips

How Dangerous is the Internet for Children

Sun, 02 Mar 2008 04:35:05 GMT

clipped by: edtechnnorris
clipper's remarks: Great article that puts everything in perspective. The internet's danger is highly overstated. Thanks David for this great post!

Clip Source: pogue.blogs.nytimes.com

A few years ago, a parenting magazine asked me to write an article about the dangers that children face when they go online. As it turns out, I was the wrong author for the article they had in mind.

Its chief message was this: “Sure, there are dangers. But they’re hugely overhyped by the media. The tales of pedophiles luring children out of their homes are like plane crashes: they happen extremely rarely, but when they do, they make headlines everywhere. The Internet is just another facet of socialization for the new generation; as always, common sense and a level head are the best safeguards.”

I could not find a single example of a preteen getting abducted and murdered by an Internet predator.

You’ll learn that some fears are overplayed, others are underplayed, and above all, that the Internet plays a huge part in adolescence now.

Tags: internet safety, parenting, social networking

Stickam - site for teens has X-rated link

Fri, 02 Nov 2007 03:58:34 GMT

clipped by: iteachcomputers

Clip Source: www.nytimes.com

Parents and child safety experts concerned about the online activities of teenagers have been particularly nervous about a Web site called Stickam, which allows its 600,000 registered users, age 14 and older, to participate in unfiltered live video chats using their Web cameras.

Though Stickam remains relatively small compared to Web giants like MySpace and YouTube, several thousand of its mostly teenage members log onto the site each night to broadcast their own lives, often from their bedrooms. They put on makeshift talk shows, flirt with other members in video chat rooms, and often, if they are female, field repeated requests to take off their clothes.

Clip Source: www.nytimes.com

Donna Rice Hughes, president of Enough Is Enough, an Internet safety organization, said that considering Stickam’s ties to pornography, children and their parents should exercise caution when using the site.

Tags: internetsafety, middleschool, parenting, teens

Web Warnings May Not Make Kids Safe

Fri, 03 Aug 2007 14:46:31 GMT

clipped by: iteachcomputers
clipper's remarks: Another article about recent studies about online safety.

Clip Source: www.forbes.com

Almost every lesson on Internet safety warns against posting personal information such as phone numbers and school names. Researchers are now suggesting, though, that such advice, however well-intentioned, doesn't necessarily make children safer from predators and related threats.

In a recent study published in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, researchers found no evidence that sharing personal information increases the chances of online victimization, such as unwanted sexual solicitation and harassment.

Rather, victimization is more likely to result from other online behavior, such as talking about sex with people met online and intentionally embarrassing someone else on the Internet.

"There is something to be said for preserving your privacy for other reasons," Lenhart said, noting that too much information could come to haunt teens when they apply for college or jobs. "Safety is not necessarily the No. 1 reason."

Tags: internetsafety, middleschool, technology, teens, parenting