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Surf smarts: Teaching kids about Internet safety

Did you know:

• 20 percent of Grade 4 students access the ‘Net through their own PC
• 43 percent of Grade 5 students use instant messaging daily
• 86 percent of Grade 11 students use instant messaging daily
• 28 percent of students download online TV shows and movies
• 31 percent of Grade 11 students have a Webcam for personal use

Source: Media Awareness Network (MNet) (see News Release)

The WebAware site (above) features tips for Internet safety.The future has arrived. Students do their homework on the ‘Net. They sign out books from the online library. They use instant messenger to talk to tutors, teachers and international pen-pals.

Today's students carry cell phone-cameras and download podcasts to mp3 players. Data swirls around them wirelessly, waiting to supply their gadgets with text and images, information and entertainment.

This is all real. And in many ways it’s great. But this ubiquitous cloud of digital content has also created some new danger zones for students.The study cited above is entitled Young Canadians in a Wired World, and was developed by Media Awareness Network (MNet), a non-profit Canadian organization whose mission is "to support and encourage media and Internet education, and its widest possible integration into Canadian schools, homes and communities."

Here are some further (somewhat alarming) findings noted in the report:

"Mainstream Web sites expose young people to inappropriate content and risky situations:

• Almost one-third of the 50 favourite Web sites listed by kids incorporate material that is violent (28 percent) or highly sexualized (32 percent). Kids in Grades 8 and 9 include these sites in their list of favourites most frequently.
• In Quebec, the top site for girls in Grades 8 to 11 is Doyoulookgood (above). On this Montreal-based site, users post photos, videos and information about themselves so others can vote on their looks. Members can search the site for people by age, starting as young as 13.

For some young people the Net is a vehicle for bullying and sexual harassment:

The Internet offers young people a place where they feel anonymous. In this environment, a majority (59 percent) say they have assumed a different identity. Of those students, 17 percent say they pretended to be someone else so "I can act mean to people and not get into trouble."

Thirty-four percent of students in Grades 7 to 11 report being bullied, while 12 percent report having being sexually harassed.

Among those who report being bullied, 74 percent were bullied at school and 27 percent over the Internet. For those who report sexual harassment, the situation is reversed. 47 percent say they were harassed at school, while 70 percent were harassed over the Internet.

Of those young people who report being sexually harassed over the Internet, over half (52 percent) say it was someone they knew in the real world."

What can we do?

If you visit the Internet Links and What can parents do, you’ll find links to various websites that provide value to CBE teachers and support staff.

One of these sites, WebAware (see image above), is published by the same group that authored the study cited in this article. This is a great place to start familiarizing yourself with the risks and some proposed ways to deal with them.

1. Know the risks

• Privacy invasions
• Pornography
• Cyber bullying
• Online predators
• Spam
• Misinformation
• Violent or hateful content
• Gambling
• Internet addiction

2. Educate students

According to the MNet study, many students play online games without realizing they were designed to advertise products and services. Other websites promote hatred, bullying and sexual stereotyping. Knowing these sites exist is step one in educating students about their dangers.

3. Connect to supportive resources

Students will likely always be "one step ahead" of teachers when it comes to the latest cool activities and online destinations. But experts in online student behavior are sharing their findings online. Proactive teachers can, in turn, share this information with peers, building an online community of practice around Internet safety for students.

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