Intervention and Prevention INTERNET SAFETY Intervention and Prevention

Training Objectives Recognize the dangers associated with the internet Identify ways parents and adults can protect children from internet dangers Identify ways children can protect themselves and keep themselves safe on the internet Recognize the importance of the cyber tip-line

Internet Usage Millions of children under the age of 18 use the internet daily in the United States. While the internet can be useful for information, it can also be dangerous for children. Parents must know how to protect their children on-line.

Internet Risks Children can be exposed to inappropriate content, child pornography, and harassment while on-line. Material on the internet can be sexual, violent, or hateful. The material may be transmitted to children through chat rooms, e-mails, or through the use of Instant Messaging. Child predators use the internet to chat with children, gain the trust of children, and then arrange meetings with them.

Internet Risks Children may be bullied on-line. Cyber bullying includes: Receiving messages that are threatening or harassing thru e-mail, chat rooms, or cell phones Being the subject of a demeaning and mean web site or web log

Internet Statistics 37% of students report being given no rules from their parents on using the Internet. 41% of students do not share where they go or what they do on the Internet with their parents. 26% of students believe their parents would be concerned if they knew what they did on the Internet. (2005-06 i-SAFE pre-assessment survey of 12,650 students in grades 5-12)

Internet Statistics 55% of students report having given out personal information (name, age, gender, home address, etc) to someone they have met on-line. 31% of students have a personal web page. (2005-06 i-SAFE pre-assessment survey of 12,000 students in grades 5-12)

Internet Statistics 29% of middle and high school students have chatted or use Instant Messenger with someone on the Internet they have never met face to face. 27% of middle and high school students know someone who has made friends with a much older (at least 5 years older) person on the internet. (2005-06 i-SAFE pre-assessment survey of 13,600 students in grades 5-12)

Internet Statistics 13% of middle and high school students know they have been fooled about the age of someone they met on-line. 19% of middle school students (grades 5-8) have met face to face with someone they met on-line. 20% of high school students (grades 9-12) have met face to face with someone they first met on line. (2005-06 i-SAFE pre-assessment survey of 13,600 students in grades 5-12)

Internet Statistics 22% of students know someone who has been bullied on-line. 19% of students admit to saying something hurtful to others on-line. 12% of students have personally became upset by strangers on-line. (2005-06 i-SAFE pre-assessment survey of 13,000 students in grades 5-12)

Internet Safety Awareness Tips for Parents Do your research. Learn all that you can about internet safety. Sites such as www.netsmartz.org, www.safeteens.com, www.playitcybersafe.com, www.i-safe.org, and www.cyberbully.org are great resources for children and parents. Consider allowing your child to use a computer only in plain sight (living room, family room, etc).

Internet Safety Awareness Tips for Parents A blog, or web log, is an on-line web site that contains journal and diary entries, photos, and other images. Blogs are very popular with teens. Ask your child if they have created a blog. Some popular blog web sites include Xanga, MySpace, Friendster, Facebook and others. Ask your child to show you their blog.

Internet Safety Awareness Tips for Parents Contact your Internet Service Provider (ISP) to know what filtering and blocking systems are available on your computer. These systems will block out what you don’t want your child to see on-line. However, filtering systems are not a substitute for good judgment. It’s important for parents to communicate with their children about internet house rules.

Internet Safety Awareness Tips for Parents Discourage your child from posting their full name, address, age and grade, name of their school, or photos on-line. This information could be used by an on-line predator to locate your child. Photos that depict children wearing clothing with the name of their school, their city, or their name should never be posted.

Internet Safety Awareness Tips for Parents Know that your child can be bullied and threatened on-line through the use of e-mail, Instant Messaging, blogs, web pages or on-line journals. Ask your child if they or any of their friends have ever been bullied or threatened on-line.

Internet Safety Awareness Tips for Parents Cyber-bullying includes: • The creation of blogs or web sites that make fun of another person •Threatening E-mails or Instant Messaging •Posting inappropriate pictures of other kids on-line (for example, kids changing in the locker room at school)

Internet Safety Awareness Tips for Parents Instant Messaging, or IM, is real time communication exchanged between two people (or more) on-line using typed words as the form of communicating. Ask your child if they are instant messaging and who they IM or chat with on-line. Learn what your children are saying on-line. “Chat lingo” has become the new way to communicate. For example, “P911” means parents are coming. “LMIRL” means let’s meet in real life. “PA” means parent alert.

Internet Safety Awareness Tips for Parents Discuss internet safety with your child. Teach your children about the danger of meeting someone they have chatted with on-line. Adults may pose as children on-line to lure a child into meeting them. Teach your children that some people are not who they appear to be on-line.

Internet Safety Awareness Tips for Parents Know where to report on-line bullying, on-line threats, on-line solicitation, and lewd content to. All of these offenses can be reported to your Internet Service Provider (ISP) and your local law enforcement agency. Report child pornography, incidents of children being solicited on-line and obscene material sent to children through e-mail, or other on-line means, to the Cyber Tipline. This national hotline is operated 24-hours a day, 7 days per week online at www.cybertipline.com or by calling 1-800-843-5678.

What is My Child Saying On-Line? Chat Lingo Examples A/S/L? Age, Sex, Location PAL Parents Are Listening LOL Laugh Out Loud PAW Parents Are Watching RU Are You? WTGP Want to Go Private? TTYL Talk to You Later W/E Whatever H&K Hug and Kiss GAL Get a Life

Internet Safety Awareness Tips for Children Never post your full name, age, address, name of your school, or any other identifying information on-line. Do not give out personal information to people you are “chatting“ with on-line if you do not know them in real life. Do not post your friend’s names, ages, addresses, or other identifying information. Posting their information puts them at risk.

Internet Safety Awareness Tips for Children Know that who you are talking to on-line may not be the age they say they are. 40 year old men have said on-line that they are 12 years old in order to lure kids to meet them. Never meet anyone face to face that you have chatted with on-line. Do not give out passwords to anyone but your parents or guardian.

Internet Safety Awareness Tips for Children Set the privacy settings of the social networking sites (MySpace, Friendster, etc.) that you use so that people can only be added if you approve them. Do not allow other internet users to read your blog or site if you do not know them. Do not add people to your Instant Messaging list unless you know them in “real life.”

Internet Safety Awareness Tips for Children Do not respond to inappropriate and lewd comments. Report anything you see or receive on-line that makes you feel uncomfortable to your parent, guardian, or other trusted adult. Your parents can then contact your local internet service provider, local law enforcement, or the Cyber Tipline.

For More Information, Visit the NetSmartz Web Site NetSmartz® is an interactive, educational safety resource from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children® and Boys & Girls Clubs of America for children (ages 5-17), parents, guardians, educators, and law enforcement that uses age-appropriate, 3-D activities to teach children how to stay safer on the internet. The NetSmartz Workshop can be accessed at www.NetSmartz.org and www.NetSmartzKids.org.

For More Information, Visit These Additional Web Sites www.netsmartz.org www.safeteens.com www.playitcybersafe.com www.i-safe.org www.cyberbully.org

Missouri Department of Social Services State Technical Assistance Team Address: PO Box 208 Jefferson City, MO 65102-0208 Telephone: (573) 751-5980 (800) 487-1626 (8 a.m. to 5 p.m. CST, Monday – Friday) Email:  dls.stat@dss.mo.gov