Invited presentation to the parent-teacher association of C.E.I.P. Rosa Luxemburgo, Madrid, April 2012. http://www.educa.madrid.org/web/cp.rosaluxemburgo.madrid/index.html

2. Overview

What are the key issues of concern?
− 'Internet addiction'
− Unmonitored access to content
− 'Stranger Danger'
− Cyberbullying

How do we tackle these concerns?
− Parental control software
− Talking with our children
− Plain common sense

3. Getting real ...

New technologies have always been perceived as a
potential danger
− Television in the 1950s / 1960s
− Music (radio and disc … lyrics, 'subliminal
messages', ...)
− Computer games (1980s on)

… though as a “corrupting influence”

So what is different about the Internet?
− "Children don't go online--they are online. It's part of
their everyday lives"

4. "Children don't GO online--they
ARE online"

5. Too much of a good thing ...

How many hours a day does your child spend
online?

Are you aware of / have you heard of 'Internet
addiction'?

Does your child have an active real-world social
life?

Do you place time restrictions on your child's
Internet usage?

6. Internet addiction
“Robert Kraut, a psychologist at Carnegie
Mellon University, led a team who studied
people 'before and after' they used the Internet.
They found that greater use of the Internet was
associated with declines in participants'
communication with household family members,
declines in the size of their social circle, and
increases in their depression and loneliness”
(Blascovich and Bailenson, Infinite Reality,
2011)

7. Internet addiction
“Do you/they:
Spend hours online without a break?
Prefer to spend time on a computer over friends and
family?
Lie about the amount of time spent online?
Hide what is done online?
Check e-mail several times an hour?
Hear family complaints about the amount of time spent
online? … (cont'd ...)

8. Internet addiction
“Do you/they:
Constantly think about being online—even when
offline?
Log on while at work or school instead of working or
studying?
If the answer to even a couple of these questions
is 'yes', you may have an addiction problem”.
(Blascovich and Bailenson, Infinite Reality, 2011)

9. “Where do you want to go
today?”

What web sites is your child viewing?
− Do you supervise / monitor your child's internet
usage?
− Have you spoken with your child about
“inappropriate content”?

10. What is your child viewing?

If you think your child has been viewing
inappropriate content, report it to your ISP or to
the content provider

Look for “Report this picture” and similar
buttons on web sites

12. Connecting with others

The Internet of the 2000s is inherently social …
− Email
− Facebook
− Instant Messengers (Yahoo, MSN, AIM, …)
− MySpace
− Twitter
− Virtual worlds (Panfu, Club Penguin, Oloko,
SmallWorlds, …, etc)

13. 'Stranger Danger'

"Talking to your child is the simplest and best way to keep up.
After all who knows better what your children are up to online …
other than your children!"
− What does your child do on the Internet?
− What web sites does he/she visit?
− Who does he/she chat with? And where?
− Who are your children's online friends?

Ask him/her! (just as you would for real-world activities)

Apply the same cautions as you would in the offline world:
“Don't talk to strangers!”

14. What is a 'friend'?

“What does a friend mean to you? And is that
the same as what it means to your child?”
− 'Friends' they've met in chat rooms or gaming sites,
whom they have never met in real life
− Ease of adding new 'friends' … and the naturalness
for your child of accepting a friend request
− Gives access to your (child's) personal information:
what you look like, what you like, where you are,
who else you know, … But how do you know whom
you can trust? What is a 'friend'?

15. Facebook friends
“Remember: the people you
share with can always share
your information with
others”.
Privacy is a collective
responsibility!
Do you know who your
child's friends are?
Does your child know who
his/her friends are?!?!

16. Facebook privacy settings
"Remember: we
act differently
online to how we
do in the real
world.
It can be much
easier to say, do,
or reveal things
online when we're
hiding behind a
computer."

17. Facebook privacy settings

18. “I know where you live”

What information is your child sharing online?
− Personal details? (school, home location, ...)
− Photographs?
− Videos?

It's important that your children learn to think
before they share. Once your content is online,
you can lose control of it.

19. Social gaming and virtual worlds

20. How many worlds are there?

21. Children are largest user group

22. Habbo Hotel

23. Stardoll

24. Moshi Monsters

25. Bin Weevils

26. SmallWorlds

27. Chimpoo

29. Users by age group
70.3% of all virtual world users are (Q1, 2011) between the ages
of 5 and 15; and an extraordinary 84% between the ages of 8
and 20

30. Virtual worlds and social gaming

Do you monitor how much time your child
spends online?

Do you know which social gaming worlds your
child is using?

Do you know who your child's in-world friends
are?

Have you talked with your child about personal
safety when in a social gaming world?

31. Parental control systems

Parental control systems for computer, Xbox,
Playstation, and Wii

32. Cyberbullying

33. Cyberbullying
In the south
USA, one in 5
children aged
10 to 18 has
reported being
a victim of
cyberbullying.
Has your child
been bullied?
Don't wait till it
happens—
caution your
child now!

34. Cyberbullying … online support

35. Other online support
The Child Exploitation
and Online Protection
Centre at:
http://ceop.police.uk

36. Other online support
CEOP at
ThinkYouKnow.co.uk

37. Other online support

38. Summing up ...

Create a computer account for your child separate from
your own, and (with younger children) ensure that only you
know the password. Time-restrict usage.

If using MS Windows, install anti-virus software.

Talk with your child sensitively about the dangers of talking
with strangers on the 'net. Ensure they know how to
restrict publishing of, and access to, personal information.

Talk with your child about 'inappropriate content'. If there's
something you'd not want them to view on TV, then you'd
not want them to view it on the 'net!

39. Summing up ...

Set limits on the amount of time your child
spends online

Make sure your child takes regular screen
breaks (at least 15 minutes in every hour)

Ensure your child thinks before sharing pictures
or videos; and explain why they should not give
out personal information such as mobile phone
number or address

(cont'd ...)

40. Summing up … (2)

Make sure your child knows to come to you if
they are concerned about anything that
happens online

Parental control tools are helpful, but should
never be seen as a substitute for personal
engagement with your child

41. Some useful links

Keeping children safe online
− http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/parents/yourchildshealthand
safety/internetsafety/dg_071138

Child internet safety
− http://www.mumsnet.com/internet-safety

UK Council for Child Internet Safety
− http://www.education.gov.uk/ukccis

Child safety online: a guide for parents
− http://www.guardian.co.uk/mcafee/child-safety-online