Internet Safety: A Parent’s Guide NEISD SHAC 2014 Health Education Subcommittee

With the invention of the World Wide Web, or internet, have come new challenges for parents, in the world wide world of keeping our children safe and protected from harm. This presentation is brought to you by the Health Education subcommittee of the North East ISD School Health Advisory Council 2014. For help with terms found in this powerpoint, please consult the script that accompanies this presentation for further information.

The Pew Research Center tells us that 95% of our young people, ages 12-17, have the ability or access to go online. As of September 2012, 81% of these online teens use social networking sites, which is up from only 55% in 2006. With such a high percentage of online usage, it is important for our youth to stay safe and be responsible users of the internet.

Many teens figure out privacy issues on their own, but recent statistics show that 70% of teens have actually asked for advice on how to keep their usage private. 42% of these teens have asked friends or peers for advice, while 41% have asked parents and 37% have asked siblings or cousins. Girls are more likely to seek advice than boys. As a parent, it is important that we either have some knowledge about what our children are asking, or that we know where to get that knowledge, in order to guide them down a safe .

Our children need to understand that their online interactions may affect them, not only in their present, but also in their future, whether that is in the context of their privacy, their reputation, or even their physical safety. A digital footprint can be copied and circulated in a matter of minutes, and possibly go viral. A digital footprint can remain online for a long time – possibly forever.

Recently, college admissions officers and prospective employers have begun the practice of searching an applicant’s social networking profiles. Google your child’s name and see what information is out there… Social networking profiles, as well as gaming profiles, will likely come up. What will you find? In addition, online predators and human traffickers use the internet as a searching ground for their victims. It can be dark and scary out there in the World Wide Web.

Social networking sites, or SNS, give kids a place to hang out with their friends, when used safely and responsibly. They give teens an avenue to share information with each other and with family, to explore and learn new things about others, and to be independent of their parents. The most popular sites for teens used to be MySpace and Face book. However, as parents began befriending, teens began searching for new sites. Understand that the popularity of these sites constantly change, due to many different factors, but the most current popular sites for teens are , , , , google+, , wanelo, kik messenger, ooovoo, pheed, ask.fm, reddit, 4 chan, 9gag, and imgur. To stay up with the current trends, simply search “top social networking sites for teens” and surf through your results. You will probably come up with some sites that aren’t even in this presentation. Again, these trends constantly change.

So, what are these sites about? What do they offer? How do our teens interact within them? In a nutshell, here are some descriptions and possible warnings. Twitter. Twitter is a site that allows brief messages, 140-characters or less, to be posted. These messages are called “tweets.” The user can follow the activities of other individuals, the news, different events, organizations, and much more. Instagram. Instagram is a site that can snap, edit, and share photos and 15-second videos. These images can be shared publicly or privately with selected followers. Instagram can contain content with violence, drugs, or profanity.

Snapchat. Snapchat is a messaging app that can send photos or videos that disappear within a set amount of time. This time span is set by the user. This app may appear to be risk-free, since the images disappear, making inappropriate images and sexting a temptation. However, screenshots can capture an image before it is gone, and in some cases, images can be recovered. Tumblr. Tumblr is like a blog and Twitter, where the user can stream text, photos, video, or audio. There are no filters on this site. Porn is easy to find, and when a new user sets up an account, their first profile has to be public.

Google+. Google+ is Google’s new social network that uses “circles” as a friends’ gathering place. Google has just recently opened up Google+ for teens, and teen safety is a priority. Vine. Vine is a app where users can post and loop 6-second videos. This site has many unique and clever videos, but it also has many inappropriate videos. There is no filter system, and there are privacy concerns with public default settings.

Wanelo. Wanelo, or Want Need Love, is a shopping, fashion blogging, and social networking site combined. Goods can be purchased through this site, from name- brand companies. Kik Messenger. Kik Messenger is an app-based free service for texting. It does link up with another app called OinkText, which allows users to chat with strangers. Ooovoo. Ooovoo is a video, voice, and messaging app that allows for face-to-face chatting, with up to 12 friends.

Pheed. Pheed is a combination of , instagram, twitter, and YouTube. Users can create and share text, photos, videos, audio, voice, and live feeds, while controlling their own content and setting their own privacy blocks. Ask.fm. Ask.fm is a site where questions can be asked by users and users can answer questions asked by other users. There are no filters on this site and comments can be posted anonymously, so cyberbullying is a concern.

Reddit. Reddit is an entertainment, social network, and news website all in one. Members can post content that might contain text posts or direct links, so this site is much like a bulletin board. Users vote on posts and content is divided into subcategories called subreddits. Users can friend one another, and the content is not censored. 4 Chan. 4 Chan is a website where users do not have to register and can post anonymously. Interests are split into different categories, but the content is not heavily censored, even though there are site moderators.

9Gag. 9Gag is a site where users can upload and share their own images and videos. The content generally contains “memes” or internet jokes, and is separated into different categories. Again, no censorship on this site. And, finally, Imgur. Imgur is a website where users can share their photos. Other users can comment on, vote on, and share the available content, with no filtering system in place.

Overall, many of these sites require the user to be at least 13 years of age, and sometimes 18 years of age, to use. However, it is very easy to just click “Yes” I am 13 or 18 years of age and set up a user account. Again, these descriptions are just a nutshell of information. For a more detailed description, go to www.commonsensemedia.org or search each of these sites individually on the internet.

With everything presented so far, you may now be thinking – what can I do as a parent, to keep my child safe? Where do I start? What do I look for? Here are some tips, brought to you from netsmartz.org, for Internet Safety. Keep your computer, or computers, in high traffic areas of your home where it is easier to establish time limits and sites, and also to monitor what your child is accessing. If they minimize the screen when you walk by, ask them to maximize it and show you what site they are on. Your computer may be only one of many devices that will access the internet. Monitor all of these devices, and also monitor the browsing histories of each device. If the browsing histories are being deleted, that could mean that inappropriate sites are being accessed. Search the internet with your child, and discuss the places they go and what they do on the internet. Let them know that, if they end up in a place that makes them uncomfortable, they should leave it immediately and tell a trusted adult. There are some dark and scary places on the web. Know who is connected with them online, whether that connection is through email, social networks, or through any other means of communication. Finally, constantly discuss the importance of internet safety with your child. Remember that 70% of our connected teens have asked for help, with regards to internet privacy. You may not have all of the answers, but maybe you and your child can find that information together. With open communication, they may feel less like you are checking up on them, and more like you care about their safety and well- being.

In addition to internet safety, here are some tips for Social Networking Sites. Check your child’s list of friends and make sure your child knows all of their listed friends, in person. Understand that it is very easy for someone to set up a fake account, in someone else’s name, and assume that identity, which could fall under identity theft. However, if notified, many of these websites will take those fake accounts down, and most of these sites have the option of blocking specific users or friends, if needed. From a safety standpoint, you should know your child’s passwords. Also, discuss the importance of privacy settings, but also understand that there is no guarantee for complete privacy. Impress upon your child to not post personal information, including pictures that might have the name of your city or of their school, and make sure they don’t have any inappropriate content or photos on their profiles. Check their friends’ profiles to see if there is any personal information about your child on other’s profiles. If you see any criminal or inappropriate behavior online, or if your child does, report it to a law-enforcement agency or to the CyberTipline at www.cybertipline.com, which is a part of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

We hope you have enjoyed this presentation and gathered some information from it. Remember that the internet is a vast world that is constantly changing, but with some research and diligence, you can help to keep your children informed and, hopefully, safe. Thank you.

References • www.commonsense.org – Common Sense Media – “11 Sites and Apps Kids Are Heading to After Facebook” • www.pewresearch.org – Pew Research Center – various statistics • www.netsmartz.org – NetSmartz Workshop – Parents and Guardians section • National Center for Missing & Exploited Children • www.wikipedia.com