Kara LaRose, School Counselor Willow Dale Elementary School Internet Safety Kara LaRose, School Counselor Willow Dale Elementary School

Statistics Over half of 11 and 12 year olds visit chat rooms Half of them visit adult chat rooms 1 in 5 children who go online are sexually exploited 61% of 13- to 17-year olds have a personal profile on a site such as MySpace or facebook Older teens (16-17) and girls especially use the internet for social interaction, meeting friends, and networking.

Statistics 71% reported receiving messages online from someone they don’t know 45% have been asked for personal information by someone they don’t know 30% have considered meeting someone that they’ve only talked to online 14% have actually met a person face-to-face that they’ve only spoken to over the internet (9% of 13-15’s; 22% of 16-17’s)

Internet Uses Email Chat rooms IM’ing Social networking (myspace, facebook, club penguin) Web cams

Chat rooms A place online where people can chat in a large group. Usually organized by categories or interests Private chat rooms may have only 2 or 3 people People feel anonymous and may write things they wouldn’t normally say.

Instant Messaging (IM’ing) A form of instant communication on the computer Can IM with one or more people at a time Can create contact lists Ability to block people you don’t know or don’t want to communicate with.

Social Networking Sites Facebook Myspace Club Penguin (Disney) Twitter

Social Networking Sites Information is public Privacy settings Posting pictures on the sites Sharing passwords Protect personal information

Cyberbullying The use of internet or cell phones to bully others by rumors, gossip, posting pictures, or threats. Girls are twice as likely to be cyber-bullied than boys. Because there is not face to face contact, the bullying behavior can become more damaging then when done in person.

Cyberbullying www.adcouncil.org Click on Health and Safety Click on Cyberbullying Click on “The Kitchen” Click on “The Talent Show”

Ways to Protect Your Child Supervise/monitor their computer use Talk with your child about the dangers of the internet Keep personal information safe You don’t always know who is on the other end of the computer Whatever is posted online makes a digital footprint and it may never be deleted.

Go online together Go online with your child and ask them to show you the sites they go to and what they do online Help your child develop usernames that do not reveal their real name or any personal information (birthday, age, sex, etc.) Know what sites they are using Make sure they are not clearing the webpage history and check the history

Rules and Guidelines Develop computer use and rules Set time limits (duration and time of day) Most inappropriate chat happens between 3:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. when kids are unsupervised. Avoid chatting with strangers Must report to a parent any pornography or concerning chats/IM’s, etc. Create a computer use contract with your family

Monitor Computer Use Put your computer in a common area in your house (NEVER in a bedroom or unsupervised area) Visit websites your child has viewed Become familiar with how to navigate the internet Monitor cell phone use including calls, texts, and pictures

Learn the Lingo LOL – laughing out loud POS – parent over shoulder L8R - later BBS – be back soon PIR – parent in room SN – screen name DIKU? – Do I know you? G2G – got to go IDK – I don’t know

Blocking programs Net nanny PC Tattletale Internet Filter Surfwatch Safesurf X-stop Cyber Patrol

If your child is being harassed online… Save a copy of the message If appropriate, report to the school and other parent(s) involved Report misconduct to your internet service provider (ISP) Make a report to CyberTipLine via www.missingkids.com If necessary, report to the police

Resources www.netsmartz.org www.netsmartz411.org www.ikeepsafe.org www.missingkids.com www.teenchatdecoder.com www.stopbullyingnow.hrsa.gov www.isafe.org www.ryanpatrickhalligan.com www.cyberbullyhelp.com www.pbs.org – Click on Frontline to watch a video called Growing Up Online (approx. 60 minutes for adults)