Guidelines for Parents, Guardians and Educators on Child Online Protection
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( ( Guidelines((( ( for Parents, Guardians and Educators on ( ( Child((( ( Online Protection International Telecommunication Union Place des Nations CH-1211 Geneva 20 Switzerland www.itu.int/cop Printed in Switzerland Geneva, 2009 With the support of: CHIS www.itu.int/cop Legal notice This document may be updated from time to time. Third-party sources are quoted as appropriate. The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) is not responsible for the content of external sources including external websites referenced in this publication. Neither ITU nor any person acting on its behalf is responsible for the use that might be made of the information contained in this publication. Disclaimer Mention of and references to specific countries, companies, products, initiatives or guidelines do not in any way imply that they are endorsed or recommended by ITU, the authors, or any other organization that the authors are affiliated with, in preference to others of a similar nature that are not mentioned. Requests to reproduce extracts of this publication may be submitted to: [email protected] © International Telecommunication Union (ITU), 2009 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS These Guidelines have been prepared by ITU and a team of contributing authors from leading institutions active in the ICT sector and would not have been possible without their time, enthusiasm and dedication. ITU is grateful to all of the following authors, who have contributed their valuable time and insights: (listed in alphabetical order) • Cristina Bueti and Sandra Pandi (ITU) • John Carr (Children’s Charities’ Coalition on Internet Safety) • Ethel Quayle (University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom) • Janice Richardson (Insafe network) • Isabella Santa (European Network and Information Security Agency) • Margareta Traung (European Commission Safer Internet programme) • Nevine Tewfik (The Suzanne Mubarak Women’s International Peace Movement: CyberPeace Initiative) The authors wish to thank John Carr from CHIS, Sonia Billard and Christiane Agbton-Johnson from UNIDIR, and Katerina Christaki from ENISA for their detailed review and comments. ITU wishes to acknowledge Salma Abbasi from eWWG for her valuable involvement in the Child Online Protection (COP) Initiative. Additional information and materials relating to these Draft Guidelines can be found at: http://www.itu.int/cop/ and will be updated on a regular basis. Photo credits: www.shutterstock.com, Violaine Martin/ITU, Ahone Ayeh Njume-Ebong/ITU If you have any comments, or if you would like to provide any additional information, please contact Ms. Cristina Bueti at [email protected] Table of Contents Executive Summary 1 Guidelines for Parents, Guardians and Educators 4 Parents and Guardians Educators 1. Background 7 2. Children and Young People Online 11 Case Study: Egyptian Young People and the Internet 15 3. Parents, Guardians and Educators 17 Defining parents, guardians and educators What many parents, guardians and educators don’t know Guidelines for Parents, Guardians and Educators www.itu.int/cop Case Study – Privacy in peril 21 Online risks and vulnerabilities related to the use of the Internet • Social networking • Sexting • How children are using new media • Where to go for help? • How educators might be at risk Same role for everyone? The right messages for the right people The role parents and guardians can play The role educators can play Educational and psychological effects Online solicitation or grooming Accessing problematic materials online Problematic opportunities Bullying Guidelines for Parents, Guardians and Educators www.itu.int/cop 4. Guidelines for Parents, Guardians and Educators 49 Parents and guardians Educators 5. Conclusions 57 References and Sources for Further Reading 58 Appendix 1 - Built-in Protection 61 Appendix 2 - Instant language, decoded 62 Guidelines for Parents, Guardians and Educators www.itu.int/cop “Protecting children online is a global issue, so a global response is needed” Guidelines for Parents, Guardians and Educators www.itu.int/cop Foreword I welcome this opportunity to share with you these preliminary guidelines which have been developed with the invaluable help of multiple stakeholders. Child Online Protection – in the era of the massively-available broadband Internet – is a critical issue that urgently requires a global, coordinated response. While local and even national initiatives certainly have their place, the Internet knows no boundaries, and an international cooperation will be the key to our success in winning the battles ahead. Parents, guardians and educators are key to winning the fight against cybercrime and cyberthreats, and I am personally grateful for your support. Dr Hamadoun I. Touré Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Guidelines for Parents, Guardians and Educators www.itu.int/cop Guidelines for Parents, Guardians and Educators www.itu.int/cop 1 Executive Summary The Internet has brought untold puter programs and mobile or tell them are safe e.g. at home benefits to children around the personal devices, adults in gener- and at school. Many parents world, with the number of con- al tend to require an instruction and guardians adhere to the nected households increasing manual for what most children common misconception that each year. By early 2009, there would say are fairly simple tasks. their children are safer if they were over 1.5 billion people on- However, what adults can bring are at home using a computer line, up from under 200 million to the e-safety debate are invalu- than they would be if they were at the beginning of 1998. able life skills and experience. accessing the Internet outside of the home. This is a danger- But while the potential for good It is crucial to establish what ous misconception because the is undisputed, the Internet has children and young people are Internet can take children and also raised some new and dis- actually doing online as opposed young people virtually anywhere turbing issues, especially where to what adults think they are in the world, and in the process children are concerned. doing. Research is showing they can be exposed to poten- that more and more children Today’s youth are very techni- tially dangerous risks, just as are connecting to the Internet they could in the real world. cally savvy. They are able to using game consoles and mobile master complex programs and devices, yet many adults are not These Guidelines have been de- applications quickly and easily even aware that connectivity is veloped within the Child Online on both computers and mobile possible using such devices. Protection (COP) Initiative1, as or other personal devices and part of ITU’s Global Cyberse- they seem to be able to do this One key issue is that children curity Agenda2, with the aim of almost intuitively. On the other and young people tend to access establishing the foundations for hand, when it comes to com- the Internet in places that adults a safe and secure cyberworld not 1 http://www.itu.int/cop 2 http://www.itu.int/osg/csd/cybersecurity/gca/ Guidelines for Parents, Guardians and Educators 2 www.itu.int/cop The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child defines a child as being any person under the age of 18. These Guidelines address issues facing all persons under the age of 18 in all parts of the world. However, a young internet user of seven years of age is very unlikely to have the same needs or interests as a 12 year old just starting at High School or a 17 year old on the brink of adulthood. At different points in the Guidelines we have tailored the advice or recommendations to fit these different contexts. Whilst using broad categories can act as a useful guide it should never be forgotten that, in the end, each child is different. Each child’s specific needs should be given individual consideration. Moreover there are many different local, legal and cultural factors which could have an important bearing on how these Guidelines might be used or interpreted in any given country or region. There is now a substantial body of international law and international instruments which underpin and, in many cases, mandate action to protect children both generally, and also specifically in relation to the internet. Those laws and instruments form the basis of these Guidelines. They are comprehensively summarized in the Rio de Janeiro Declaration and Call for Action to Prevent and Stop Sexual Exploitation of Children and Adolescents adopted at the 3rd World Congress against the Sexual Exploitation of Children and Adolescents, in November, 2008. Guidelines for Parents, Guardians and Educators www.itu.int/cop 3 only for today’s youth but also ICT sector, namely EU Safer children in cyberspace and for future generations. Internet Programme, European promote safe access to online Network and Information Secu- resources. The Guidelines are meant to rity Agency (ENISA)3, Children’s act as a blueprint which can be Charities’ Coalition on Internet This will not only lead to the adapted and used in a way which Safety, Cyberpeace Initiative and building of a more inclusive is consistent with national or the University of Edinburgh information society, but it will local customs and laws. More- (United Kingdom).Invaluable also enable ITU Member States over, it will be appreciated that contributions were also received to meet their obligations to- these guidelines address issues from individual national gov- wards protecting and realizing which might affect all children ernments and high technology the rights of children as laid out and young people under the age in the United Nations Conven- companies who share a common 4 of 18 but each age group will objective of making the inter- tion on the Rights of the Child , have different needs. Indeed net a better and safer place for adopted by UN General As- each child is unique, deserving children and young people. sembly resolution 44/25 of 20 individual consideration. November 1989 and the WSIS ITU, together with the other Outcomes Document5.