INTERNET SAFETY

SHSJanuary 24th / 31st

9:15 - 11:00 and 11:30 - 1:15 and 7:00-9:00

A Westport Public Schools Workshop for Parents

Natalie Carrignan, Director of Instructional Technology

Bill Derry,Coordinator of Information & Technology Literacy

Barbara Fischetti, Coordinator of Psychological Services

INTERNET SAFETY

What brings you

here today?

Social Networks Cyber Bullying Predators Gambling Commercial Exploitation Phishing Internet Game Addiction Pornography Instant messaging Virtual Reality

Internet Safety Issues

Changes in Technology

High Speed Bandwidth Convergence of Technologies Portable technology

Cell phones (picture/video phones, text messaging)

MP3/iPod Web 2.0

a list of “web 2.0” sites/softwareanother list of “web 2.0” sites/software Peer to Peer

Napster – shut down by court order eDonkey 2000 – closed by RIAA –Recording Industry FastTrack, Kazaa Gnutella BearShare, Limewire, Morpheus and ToadNode Some Firewalls block Peer-to-Peer

Kids and adults regularly create and use BLOGS.

Often called a “public diary on steroids!”

Click here or on the graphic above to go to wiredsafety.org,an online safety and help group.

ICQ information from wiredkids.org

Changes in theMarket

Changes in technology have expanded the 11-17 year old market

Teens watching less TV because they spend more time on Internet

Largest consumer of Internet pornography "Statistics prove that teenage Internet gambli

ng is the fastest growing addiction of the day, akin to drug and alcohol abuse in the 1930s."

Teen Social Networking Sites growingrapidly

WHY DO KIDS

USE SOCIAL USE SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES?NETWORKING SITES?

Because they can…

Maintain contact with friends Connect with people who have similar

interests and expertise Express themselves even when normally shy Learn about the school/community in a short

period of time More easily share things and make plans Keep from getting lonely or bored Not be restricted by time, travel or access…

and always stay in touch.

…and because they can…

Be who they want to be Create a fantasy life Be anonymous Be free of social

conventions/restrictions Become an “avatar” View “it” as only a game

Activity Explore www.bolt.com

Go to http://www.bolt.com/PrincessxSkullface Take two minutes to view PrincessxSkullface’s site

What can you tell us about her? What are the dangers

Assume PrincessxSkullface is not who she says she is

Who could she be? What are the dangers?

Explore www.myspace.com Click the browse button

Browse on these criteria male and female ages18- 23 5 miles from 06880

Take two minutes to review. Consider benefits and potential dangers

Terms of use MySpace Safety Tips for Users and Parents What does MySpace do to protect users?

Choose your screen name carefully Choose your opening picture

carefully Know what is public and what is

private Test it out Be honest about your age, there are

different protections in place for different ages

Safe Practices

WHY DO KIDS

?

Cyberbulling and Cyberthreats

Harassment Cyberstalking Denigration Exclusion Impersonation Flaming Outing (revealing secrets) Trickery

A Parents Guide to Cyberbullying 2005A Parents Guide to Cyberbullying 2005

“Let me count the ways…they cyberbully each other?”

Any interactive technology: cell phones, text messaging devices, IMs, interactive games, Internet, photo phones and PDAs

Any interactive sites: Websites, blogs, social networking sites, guestbooks, porn posts, wikis, profiles, directories, e-mail, SPAM

Any new technology can be abused This is limited only by the technology they

possess and their limitless imaginations

Parry Aftab wired kids.org

There are four kinds of cyberbullies…

Vengeful Angels (wanting to right wrongs)

Power-Hungry or “Revenge of the Nerds” (traditional schoolyard bullying mentality, doing it for power…the ironic twist is that offline victims often become online bullies)

Mean Girls (doing it for entertainment, usually in groups. Not always girls.)

Inadvertent Cyberbullies (didn’t mean to cyberbully anyone, reacted in anger or was misunderstood)

Parry Aftab wired kids.org

School-yard bullying… same or different?

A little of both… Same: The power-hungry and mean girls

cyberbullies are often offline bullies too Different: Revenge of the nerds are often the

victim of an offline bullying – smaller and weaker Vengeful angels

exist only in cyberspace as anonymous vigilantes Inadvertent cyberbullies …

typical for cyber-communication are misunderstood or lash out in a moment in

anger

Parry Aftab wired kids.org

Is it serious or is it“kids’ stuff?”

Parry Aftab wired kids.org

A short video clip on Cyberbullying

The Impact

Can be vicious No escape -- 24/7 Distributed world wide and often

irretrievable Can be anonymous and can solicit

involvement of unknown friends Reluctant to tell due to fear of

restrictions

• Better to ERR on the side of caution!• The emotional response of your child• The kind of threat• The frequency of the threats• The source of the threats• The nature of the threats

Parry Aftab wired kids.org

Consider the following:

Immediate Action Steps

1. Save the evidence2. Identify the cyberbully3. Possible Actions

Tell the cyberbully to stop Ignore the cyberbully-help your child File a complaint Contact your school Contact the Cyberbully’s Parents Contact the Police Contact an Attorney

Additional ACTION STEPS

• Talk to your child and create personal guidelines for online involvement.

• Make a realistic evaluation of the quality of the online community and the benefits of remaining in or leaving.

• Recognize the need to leave an online situation that has gotten out of control.

• Conduct a self-assessment of his or her behavior or communications that may be contributing to the victimization.

• Learn how to respond in an assertive, but not aggressive, way to any harmful communications.

• Know when and how to gain assistance from an adult.

From The Center for Safe and Responsible Internet Use

How Can Technology Help?

Filtering and Blocking Software Whitelist/Blacklist Categories Reviews

Cautions False Sense of Security Over Blocking Embedded Chat Rooms/Forums

Sample Chat Room from MySpace

The Schools’ Part

Comply with the Children Internet Protection Act (CIPA)

Internet Safety and Ethical Use taught at every grade level

Caution: May be viewed as “in school practice” and may not be transferred to the real world or virtual world.

Parents

Filter… but do not assume its all you need to do.

Time Talk Awareness Guidelines / Handouts

Best Practices

Have a family Internet plan Use district resources

Pre-selected teacher websites Subscription databases and online

encyclopedias iConn – State Digital Library Westport Public Library resources

Maintain open communications

For more information…

ABOUT: Family InternetTalking with your Kids and a sample Family Internet Safety Agreement

Center for Safe and Responsible Internet Use Effective strategies to protect young people on the Internet

How Stuff Works (Firewalls, Viruses, Worms, etc.) This site opens with a description of firewalls and how they work.

I Keep Safe-A national Internet Safety website, individualized for Connecticut

MySpace Articles What does MySpace do to protect users? MySpace Moves to Give Parents More Information

Netbullies.com“Protecting kids from each other online with cyberlawyer Perry Aftab”

Netlingo.comLearn about the acronyms and language of the Internet.

Online Victimization of YouthA 2006 report from the THE CRIMES AGAINST CHILDREN RESEARCH CENTER UNIVERSITY OF NEW HAMPSHIRE ,FUNDED BY THE U.S. CONGRESS THROUGH A GRANT TO THE NATIONAL CENTER FOR MISSING & EXPLOITED CHILDREN

Safe TeensMagid, Larry. Teen Safety on the Information Highway. A publication of the national Organization for Missing or Exploited Children. 2004

Spectorsoft.comAutomatically record everything done on the internet

Teen Angels13-18 year old volunteers who provide help on Internet safety issues

Web Awareness ResourcesInternet saftey tips with resources for various age groups (2-3, 5-7, 8-10, 11-13, 14-17)

WebopediaThe only online dictionary and search engine you need for computer and Internet technology definitions.

INTERNET SAFETY

SHSJanuary 24th / 31st

9:15 - 11:00 and 11:30 - 1:15 and 7:00-9:00

A Westport Public Schools Workshop for Parents

Natalie Carrignan, Director of Instructional Technology

Bill Derry,Coordinator of Information & Technology Literacy

Barbara Fischetti, Coordinator of Psychological Services