Cyber Safe Ohio: Beyond Internet Safety

Overview of today’s talk:

• The Digital Divide: Why Do We Care?• What We Are Doing with Technology?• Ohio Anti Bullying, Intimidation and

Harassment Law• Internet Landscape / Safety• Parent Involvement• Resources You Can Use

Why Do We Care?

Mother guilty of misdemeanor charges in

cyber-bullying in which girl died

Drew guilty of three misdemeanor offenses of accessing computers without authorization. Each count is punishable by up to a year in prison

and a $100,000 fine.

*This conviction has been appealed and was overturned.

Megan Meier Lori Drew

Teens videotape beating as revenge for online postsSheriff says the country needs to understand what adolescents are into now

Allegedly was spreading rumors on MySpace and girls lured her to a home

where they assaulted her and posted the video on YouTube.

Victoria Lindsey

Ohio girls admits sending nude cell phone photos A 15-year-old Ohio girl has admitted

sending nude cell phone photos of herself in a juvenile court deal that could result in a felony charge being dropped.

The girl entered a plea to admit to one count of possession of criminal tools in the Juvenile Division of Licking County Common Pleas Court in central Ohio Thursday.

Penalties by the Judge include a curfew, no cell phone and no unsupervised Internet usage.

Police said an amateur cell phone video made by a witness to the beating shows the brutal attack and murder.

A copy of the very graphic and violent video was posted on YouTube.

Derrion Albert

This made the news!

A New Zealand mom made some

online bids on toys before napping. Then her 3-year-olddaughter took over and

bought abigger plaything than

expected a huge earth-moving digger

for acool $12,300.

For the full report, go to: Rochester Institute of Technologyhttp://www.rrcsei.org/research.html

What Kids in Ohio Say

• When shown the Ryan Halligan video, a fifth grader tells me that he has felt that way too but never acted on it

• A fifth grade girl said that she is receiving creepy emails and it scares her so much that her mom has to sleep in her room

• A group of students disclosed that a boy has been sending naked pictures of himself for a year and no one had told an adult

They want to know:

• What to say / do if they receive a weird, creepy, mean, inappropriate text or pictures

• What to do if they are asked to send inappropriate sexual text or pictures

• What to do if they receive an inappropriate “sext” or picture

When asked if students feel it is their responsibility to keep their school safe and secure…….

On the Flip Side

• Kids can practice social skills using technology

• Because socializing via technology isn't as immediate as face-to-face interactions kids have more time to think about a situation before they respond.

• This is an opportunity for them to experiment with greetings, responses, etc.

And Provides

• Defined/guided social interaction. • Some examples include:

– buddy/friend lists– moderated themed chat rooms– and, for younger children, the opportunity

for parents to help a child by typing or reading along some of the time.

• This can help children build skills and confidence that will increase their independence as they mature .

Teenagers’ Internet Socializing Not a Bad Thing “It may look as though kids are wasting a lot of

time hanging out with new media, whether it’s on MySpace or sending instant

messages,” said Mizuko Ito, lead researcher on the study,

“Living and Learning With New Media.”

“But their participation is giving them the technological skills and literacy they need to succeed in the contemporary world. They’re

learning how to get along with others, how to manage a public identity, how to create a

home page.” *according to a new study by the MacArthur Foundation.

Internet Landscape

• Faster communication• Advanced research

techniques• Up-to-the minute news• Entertainment• Online shopping and services• Financial management.

The Internet has dramatically changed our world and the way we interact within it.

Internet Landscape- Student Online

Behavior* • 80% of students spend at several hours each day

using technology. • 30% of students say e-mail, chat rooms, or instant

messaging is the main way they stay in contact with their friends.

• 38% of students feel freer to do what they want on the Internet.

• 31% of students say it is easier to talk with people on the Internet than in real life.

* According to a 2003-2004 i-SAFE survey of 20,000 5th-8th grade students

Internet Landscape -Risky Student Online Behavior*

• 55% of students admitted giving their personal information (name, sex, age, etc.) over the Internet.

• 25% of students believed there was nothing wrong with chatting with strangers online.

• 10% of students had met someone face-to-face that they previously met on the Internet. * According to a 2003-2004 i-SAFE survey of 20,000 5th-8th grade students

SolutionThe Office of the Ohio Attorney General has partnered with i-SAFE and Netsmartz, agencies who are dedicated to educating and empowering youth to safely and responsibly take control of their Internet experience.

Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray is Promoting Cyber Safety• Juvenile and Youth Programs provides free

programs to school, law enforcement, students and others on violence prevention.

• Ohio Missing Children’s Clearinghouse makes information about missing children and adults available to other agencies. Example: Amber Alert.

• The Identity Theft Unit assists victims of ID Theft.

• The Bureau of Criminal Investigations operates a cyber crime unit which identifies and investigates cyber crime.

Ohio Statewide Discipline Data

Discipline Reasons - Statewide DataData Source: EMIS

0

10,000

20,000

30,000

40,000

50,000

60,000

70,000

80,000

90,000

100,000

2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

Nu

mb

er

of

Dis

cip

line

Inc

ide

nts

TruancyFighting/ViolenceUse/Possession/Sale of Firearms, ExplosivesUse/Possession, Sale or Distribution of alcohol, tobacco & other drugsVandalism/Theft/False alarm/Bomb threatsHarassment/Intimidation/Unwelcome Sexual ConductSerious Bodily Injury

*Disobedient/Disruptive Behavior, not charted, averages 332,000 incidents over the eight years.

May 5, 2005 –

HB 276 (Ohio Anti HIB) Introduced – requires schools, by 12/30/07to adopt policy prohibiting harassment, intimidation, and bullying (Effective March 2007, Amended)

Dec. 30, 2007 – School district/community school

policies to be in effect

Timeline of Policy Development for Ohio Anti HIB Law

Any intentional written, verbal, graphic, or physical act that a student or group of students exhibited toward another particular student more than once and the behavior both:

• *Causes mental or physical harm to the other student; and

• *Is sufficiently severe, persistent or pervasive that it creates an intimidating, threatening or abusive educational environment for the other student.

– Electronically transmitted acts (i.e., through the Internet, a cell phone, personal digital assistance (PDA) or wireless hand-held device.

Bullying definition from Ohio Department of Education Model School Policy re: Ohio HIB Law

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON Ohio Anti HIB, MODEL SCHOOL POLICY OR RESPONSIBILITIES PERTAINING SPECIFICALLY TO PROCEDURES AND RESPONSIBILITIES TO SCHOOLS GO TO:

WWW.ODE.STATE.OH.US

Question for you to Ponder• Has the use of technology affected the way

our kids communicate?“Safety on the social Web is not about

technology; it's about behavior, human relationships - civility, consideration, and common sense. These are things parents and kids have been talking about since long before the telephone even, long before anything we think of as technology “

*My Space Chief Safety Officer Hemu

Cyber Issues and Misuse

• What kinds of things do we have to be aware of?

Internet PredatorsOften the Predator - • Appears familiar• Develops trust• Establishes secrecy• Erodes barriers• Direct intimidation• Face-to-face meeting

Remember, 69% of teens regularly receive personal

messages online from people they don’t know and most of them don’t tell a trusted adult

about it.www.cox.com

Cyber BullyingAccording to a 2004 i-SAFE survey of 1,500 middle school students, it was reported that while online:

• 52% said hurtful or angry things to another person.

• 57% had someone say hurtful or angry things to them.

42% were bullied.34% were threatened online.

Cyber Bullying

Tools• Instant Messages• E-mail• Webpages• Weblogs• Cell Phones

Cyber Stalking

Cyber stalking -- particularly by cell phone – is becoming more common, according a study

A study of stalking by the U.S. Justice Department's Bureau of Justice Statistics released last month

confirmed that stalking by texting has become a pervasive problem.

The report found 23 percent of stalking or harassment victims

reported in 2006 that the stalker had used some form of cyber stalking,

such as cell phone texting or eMail, to harass them

What is “Sexting”

• (Verb) texting sexual or vulgar material – Including text, pictures and video’s

“I don’t see what the big deal is, it’s my body”

• 75% of teens say sending sexually suggestive content “can have serious negative consequences.”

• Yet, 39% have sent or posted suggestive messages, 20% have sent or posted nude/suggestive images of themselves

$1,000,000 question… WHY?

• 51% of girls and 18% of boys say it’s

So What Can We Do?

Parent-Child Communication Gap

• 90% of parents felt they knew “some” or “a lot” about where their children went or what their children did on the Internet.*

YET

• 34% of children stated they did not share what they did or where they went on the Internet with their parents.*

* According to a 2003-2004 i-SAFE survey of 3,000 parents and 20,000 5th-8th grade students

Parents:• In addition to talking about safe online communication

with your child, you can extend your understanding and awareness of your child's online activity if you:

• Learn about your child's use of technology, at least to some degree. Don't be afraid of it. You might even find your kids opening up to you if you adopt something such as instant messaging (IM).

• Do not diminish the importance of your child's communication via technology. It's a social lifeline. Sometimes it's the only way kids communicate with their friends.

• Walk your talk. Take steps to protect your own online privacy and safety. Be aware of how you use the Internet. Remember: your kids can probably look at your Web-surfing history and cookies as easily as you can theirs!

Parents:• Model the behavior you want your children to

have.  Are you on your mobile or tech devices at inappropriate times?  Set ground rules for yourself and follow through.  Be a good tech role model for your children.

• Mentor your child: Teach the child “here’s what I want you to do, here’s what’s appropriate.” Let your child know that it is a privilege to have technology and that there are certain times it won’t be available.

• Parents may want to set up an agreement with their child about usage, much the same way they do about setting up driving contracts with teens.

And finally:

• Mediate: If your monitoring shows a real deviation in the behavior that you’d like, say:

“I have noticed that you have not been using your technology according to our agreement.  Here’s what we can do until you show you can

use the technology in a more responsible way.” 

Show them that the negative behavior is noticed and has

consequences.

Tips for Families• Have fun being a part of your child’s online experience.• Take computer classes at your local library• Keep the computer where everyone sees the screen.• Don’t post your personal information and beware of

requests for your personal information online.• Teach your child how to recognize and avoid predators.• Report strangers who solicit meetings with any child.• Report cyber bullying and threats.• Ask to see a copy of your school policy on HIB.• Install and operate updated security software.

Some Strategies From Other Parents in Ohio:• Make it a rule that cell phones and use

of video games are off at night and not taken into the bedrooms with your child.

• Ask your child to “friend” them on their social networking site ( caution: don’t become a helicopter parent).

• You set up the password for the social networking site and you log your child in.

• Finally, No Computers In Bedrooms!

Digital Citizenship: is defined as the norms of behavior with regard to technology use.

Resourceswww.stopbullyingnow.hrsahttp://www.netsmartz.orghttp://www.isafe.orghttp://www.netfamilynews.orghttp://www.childnet-int.orghttp://www.fosi.org/cmshttp://www.getnetwise.orghttp://www.missingkids.comhttp://www.safeyouth.orghttp://facebookforparents.org/

Thank you for attending!For additional information

please contact:Kathleen Nichols

Ohio Attorney General’s OfficeKathleen.nichols@ag.state.oh.us