80% of parents are concerned about children meeting sexual
predators online. --USA Today
“Parents and the Web: 'Complete dichotomy‘”
Yet…
Only 30% of 18-to-24-year-olds worry about getting harassed or
stalked online
But parents also say:
The Internet helps their children explore their passions
91%
The Internet is one of the most valuable education tools teens have
77%
So, we can’t simply shut it down, block it, filter it away.
MySpace
70+ Million Users
Adding up to 250,000 users a day
(Not all kids…)
15th Largest Country
“The primary asynchronous communication tool for teens.”
--Danah Boyd, Henry Jenkins MySpace and DOPA
The MySpace AUP
The community polices itself
Aside from what we see in the news, what’s happening at
MySpace?
Music sharing(1 million bands)
Photo and video sharing
Communicating with friends
Identity development and cultural integration
They are doing online what they used to do on the playground
The difficult transition:
“As a society, we are at a moment of transition when the most important social relationships may no longer be restricted to those we conduct face to face with people in our own immediate surroundings but may also
include a large number of relationships which are conducted over vast geographic distances.”
--Henry Jenkins, MIT
How do we deal with this?
MySpace tips for parents
Wiredsafety.org
What kids need to understand:
This is public.
“The New Permanent Record”
Creating an online portfolio of themselves
The most e-mailed story from the Times today:
“For Some, Online Persona Undermines Resume”
Delete doesn’t always mean delete
Again, education is the key.
What you can do:(Wiredsafety.org)
Talk to your children
Google yourself
Google your kidsNamesLogins
Ask to see your child’s profile
Read the profile, with links to friends and photos, with your
child at your side
If you’re skeptical, read it on your own and explore deeper
Keep the kids’ computer in a public place (i.e., NOT in
their bedroom!)
Use filtering software such as Cybersitter or Net Nanny
Always (try to) stay a step ahead of your kids…
…And praise them when they do the right thing!
For kids:
Set page to “Private”
Don’t include personal info
(that includes last name, town, school, sports teams, where you
hang out, etc.)
Don’t include photos Only let people be friends if
you already know them
Avoid “in-person” meetings with people you don’t already know
Check comments regularly, and delete inappropriate ones
instead of responding to them.
Don’t post something that could embarrass you later.
Be skeptical
Report inappropriate behavior
DOPA(Deleting Online Predators Act)
“The single greatest risk our children face in connection with the Internet is being
denied access. We have solutions for every other risk.”