CONSUMER ALERT

MIKE COX

ATTORNEY GENERAL

The Attorney General provides Consumer Alerts to inform the public of unfair, misleading, or deceptive business practices, and to provide information and guidance on other issues of concern.

INTERNET SAFETY AND CHILDREN

HELP PROTECT YOUR CHILDREN WHEN THEY GO ONLINE

The Internet can be a wonderful learning tool.  Children and adults have access to a wealth of information without ever having to leave their home or school.  However, the Internet can also be a source of danger especially with the growing popularity of social networking sites such as MySpace.com, Xanga.com, Thefacebook.com, and Thelivejournal.com.  These sites give teens a new hot place to stay in touch with their friends, meet new friends, plan events, and get all the latest gossip.  These sites have become extremely popular among teens and young adults who post profiles, photos, and blogs -- often chock-full of personal details -- for the world (including predators) to see.

In fact, predators are window shopping on these sites.  Even the smartest children may not realize that everyone with Internet access, including sexual predators, may see the pictures and personal information they post.  In addition, there are other online threats such as "cyberbullying" and disturbing pictures and language.  But there are many things parents can do to help protect their children when they go online. 

IMPORTANT INTERNET SAFETY TIPS

1.       Create clear and simple ground rules for children to follow.

Set plainly worded ground rules in writing and consider posting these rules on or near the computer monitor so children will be frequently reminded of them.  Set rules regarding how long the child may use the Internet per day and what Web sites they are allowed to look at.  Also, make it clear to the child that they are not to send personal information or post any pictures on the Internet without first asking your permission. 

Netsmartz.com is a Web site created by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, provides a list of ground rules, and a pledge for children and parents to sign regarding Internet safety.  You may use the ground rules and pledges on this Web site to guide Internet usage in your household, or you may add or change any of the rules to make them fit in with your family's values and rules. 

2.       Place a computer with Internet access in a location that is visible to other members of the family (not in a childs' bedroom).

Parents should give their children access to only one computer that is connected to the Internet and place that computer in an area where other family members frequent, like a family room or well-traveled hallway.  Another option for parents is to have only one password that controls your children's access to the Internet.  Thus, your children will not be able to log on unless a parent is available to enter the password and supervise the child's activity on the Internet.  Children may be less likely to engage in risky online behavior if they know that someone else in their family has access to the same computer or may walk past the computer to see what they are doing.

3.       Explain to your children that they should never give out identifying information -- name, home address, school name, or telephone number -- in a public forum such as a chat room or a bulletin board (newsgroup) or to people they do not know.

As described earlier, there are many "social networking" Web sites available that allow users, including children, to complete profiles that include personal identifying information.  Users may complete these profiles in order to meet and communicate with people who have similar interests.  Myspace.com is one networking site that is currently very popular and is growing in popularity.  In fact, MySpace.com is the third most viewed Web site in the world with 11.5 billion page views each month, according to comScore Media Matrix.  That is more hits than Google, eBay, and AOL, with nearly 60 million subscribers of all ages.  Friendster.com, Livejournal.com, and Xanga.com are other popular networking sites.  Networking sites or sites that rely on user profiles unfortunately have been used by predators and other unscrupulous individuals hoping to meet children.  To put it bluntly, predators can use these sites to track and meet their next victim.

Children and other users should NEVER post identifying information on these Web sites or complete profiles with personal information.  Personal information is anything that may be used to contact or track down the child, such as their last name, address, parents' name or work address, the child or parents' cell phone or other telephone number, the child's school, favorite hangouts, and even school or work schedules.  Predators may use any of this information to track a child in the "real world." 

Also, children should not post pictures online.  Not only will the pictures reveal the child's approximate age, but pictures may also contain identifying information.  For example, even if a child does not explicitly provide personal information in a profile, a picture of the child wearing a school uniform, clothing with a school name or a local team, even pictures with landmarks or awards in the background can reveal information that will prove useful to a predator. 

4.       Discuss the importance of telling you or a trusted adult if something ever makes your child or teen feel scared, uncomfortable, or confused while online.

It may be very upsetting, even frightening, to parents when they learn that their child feels threatened or uncomfortable by something they have seen online.  But your child is likely even more upset or afraid by what they have seen or experienced.  It is extremely important that parents encourage their children to be open with them and tell them about anything that frightens them or makes them uncomfortable.  This is especially true if the child has been solicited by others while online.  A parent's first response when a child tells them about a bad online experience should not be to punish the child or to take away Internet privileges.  It is not your child's fault if they saw or read something that made them uncomfortable or scared, and it is certainly not your child's fault if they are bullied or solicited by someone online. 

By encouraging open communication with your child, whether they are very young or a teenager, parents can play a major role in protecting their children from threats they encounter online.  If you or your child sees chatroom comments or newsgroup messages that are in any way threatening or hostile, such as messages including racial slurs and other hate speech, never respond.  If you are concerned, contact your Internet Service Provider (ISP) and make sure they are aware of the problem. 

5.       Get to know the Internet and any services your child uses.

Have your children show you what they do online and how they do it.  Ask your children to show you the Web sites that are currently popular with them and their friends.  Make sure your children show you how they access certain Web sites.  This communication with your children is very important; it will give you the tools you need to help keep your children safe. 

These days many teenagers have profiles on Web sites such as MySpace.com or Facebook.com.  It is important that you maintain access to these Web pages.  Ask your child to provide you with his or her password.  Your child may be inclined to put photos or personally identifying information on his or her profile -- lots of kids do.  Your approval should be required before any information is posted on your child's profile.  Communicate with your child and work together to create a profile that is fun without revealing information that could make you or your child vulnerable to an Internet criminal.  Don't hesitate to frequently search for your child's name in search engines like Google or Yahoo! and see how often their name appears.  You may stumble upon a profile or Web page your child posted without your permission.

6.       Become familiar with blocking and monitoring programs.

At any moment, you and your children are just one typo away from pornography and one click away from Internet predators!  To keep your kids from wandering into danger online, consider downloading or purchasing Internet safety and monitoring programs.  The Internet safety program will help keep pornography, gambling, and other unacceptable sites out of your home by blocking those sites.  The monitoring program will let you monitor what your children do online and who they talk to online.  Examples of Internet safety programs include Norton Internet Security, McAfee Privacy Service, Net Nanny, Cybersitter, We-Blocker, CyberPatrol, and Content Barrier for Mac.  Examples of monitoring software that permit parents to monitor their child's Internet usage include eBlaster, Child Safe, Parents Tools for AIM, Spector, and SentryPC.

While these filtering and blocking programs may help protect your child from some online threats, they cannot protect your child or teenager from every threat on the Internet.  Keeping your child educated about online dangers, making sure they know what to do if they encounter something dangerous, and making sure your child knows they can come to you if they have a problem are some of the best ways to help minimize the risks faced when using the Internet. 

7.   Never allow a child to arrange a face-to-face meeting with another computer user without parental permission or accompaniment.

You do everything in your power to protect your children and help them avoid confronting danger.  Internet predators are skilled at role playing as persons with like interests and characteristics in hopes of luring victims to meet them.  Throughout the grooming process, predators follow a pattern where they gain familiarity, develop trust, establish secrecy, erode barriers, intimidate, and eventually arrange a face-to-face meeting.  In some cases, the grooming process can occur in as little as two weeks.  Victims have no idea that the individual with whom they are confiding is actually an adult pretending to be somebody they are not. 

8.   Tell your children never to respond to messages or bulletin board items that are suggestive, obscene, belligerent, threatening, or make them feel uncomfortable.

For law enforcement purposes, consider printing and saving copies of any messages or bulletin board items that are suggestive, obscene, belligerent, threatening, or make you or your children feel uncomfortable.  Documents such as these would be considered evidence and should be maintained in the event that an investigation is pursued for an Internet criminal.

9.   Report messages that present a danger to local law enforcement.

Report your information online by using the Attorney General's online complaint form or by calling 1-888-KIDS-CSI (1-888-543-7274) if you are a Michigan resident and:

Cyberbulling is another threat your child may face while online.  According to the Web site Stopcyberbullying.org, "cyberbulling" is "when a child, preteen or teen is tormented, threatened, harassed, humiliated, embarrassed or otherwise targeted by another child" on the Internet, in chatrooms, or even via cellular phone.  It is very important that your child knows they can come to you for support and guidance if they are a victim of a cyberbully.  It is also important to understand that often kids who are being "cyberbullied" may become a cyberbully without realizing it. 

If your child tells you they are a victim of cyberbullying, or if you discover this, let the school know so your child's guidance counselor can look for any in-school bullying and monitor how your child is handling the situation.  If your child, preteen, or teenager receives threats of physical violence, print out the threat and immediately contact your local police department.  Although it is rare, cyberbullying can escalate into physical violence or threats and must not to be taken lightly. 

10.  Remind your children that people online may not (and likely are not) who they seem; and that everything people say online may not be true.

To avoid falling victim to deceit, don't be too quick to believe everything you read in online chatrooms, bulletin boards, blogs, instant messages, and profiles. 

ADDITIONAL SOURCES OF INFORMATION

The following Web sites provide helpful information and additional Internet safety tips:

The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children:  http://www.missingkids.com.

The Internet Keep Safe Coalition group teaches basic rules of Internet safety to children and parents: www.ikeepsafe.org

i-SAFE America is a non-profit foundation whose mission is to educate and empower youth to make their Internet experiences safe and responsible: www.isafe.org. 

WiredSafety.org provides Internet safety information for children, teens, and parents.  Executive Director Parry Aftab is an Internet privacy and security attorney and expert: http://www.wiredsafety.org.

Stopcyberbullying.org is affiliated with WiredSafety.org.  It provides helpful information about cyberbullying and tips for parents and children, preteens, and teenagers who may be victims of cyberbullying or who may have become inadvertent cyberbullies themselves:  http://www.stopcyberbullying.org.

Netsmartz.com is a Web site that provides interactive programs targeted at children and teens to help educate them on Internet safety.  The site also provides information for parents, educators, and law enforcement:  http://www.netsmartz.org.

Staysafe.org provides interactive programs and Web sites targeted at children and teens regarding Internet safety:  http://www.staysafe.org.