Internet Safety

What should you do to be safe when using email and the internet?

First lets focus on being safe using email!

According to Karen Maxwell, a tutor for a Digital Skills company called Digital Unite, "Email is a wonderful tool for sending and receiving a lot of information quickly and securely. However, it’s important that your personal information remains secure and safe and that you aren’t open to viruses or hackers". Most of us can't survive without our electronic devices, and having access to our emails is a major reason for this. However, how can we stay safe? Here is a list of ways to avoid viruses, hackers and phishing emails:

Here is a great video to help understand how phishing emails work:

Staying Safe on the Internet!

I have found that staying safe on the internet has two main parts to it. The first is to follow the same rules for internet safety that are followed for email safety. The second is to follow the same rules that we teach our children to follow when we are teaching them how to use the internet! If we truly followed the same council and guidance that we gave our children we would be the safest users of the internet that the world has ever seen. Lets watch a clip from Brain Pop Jr to see what I'm talking about!

Annie and Moby teach us some important safety rules in order to stay safe on the internet. In a day in age when the percentage of people who have access to the internet is growing daily, having rules in place to help children and teens develop good habits is extremely important. According to NetSmartz, an interactive, educational program of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC), "95% of teens are online". This means that implementing policies that create good habits is of the utmost importance. Dr. Debra Bruce (2007), a writer for WebMD, gives a very detailed list of safety tips for teens. These tips include:

"1. Keep Your Online Identity Secret

Don’t tell anyone your real name and address or what neighborhood you live in. Here’s the general rule: Don’t give out any information that a predator could possibly use to find you. The Federal Trade Commission says that even “small clues” like what school you attend or the name of your athletic team is enough for a predator to figure out your identity. You wouldn’t tell some 40-year-old man or woman you met at the mall your name and where you live, would you? So why would you tell CoolGuy985 or HotChick16 from the chat room?

2. Your Username and Password Belong to You … And Only You

Don’t give your username or password to anyone. It's just that simple. What if a friend logs on and pretends to be you, and then says something really awful and gets you in trouble? Sure, it might seem funny to the “former” friend, but it’s serious and it happens everyday. With your username and password, someone can post language that gets you expelled from school, in trouble with your parents, or even in trouble with the law. Keep your name and password private.

3. The Internet has a Great Memory … So Keep Its Memory of You Clean

Just because the Internet is so massive does not mean that embarrassing or risqué pictures, rude or mean comments, or illegal activities will disappear forever. Watch what you post about yourself or others -- or allow your friends to post about you -- because you may have to live with it for a long, long time.

4. Be Good Online … Just Like You Are Offline

Writing “hate” emails, hacking into other people’s computers, illegally downloading music or movies and making online threats are just as illegal on the Internet as they are in the real world. You cannot hide behind a screen name and get away with it. Watch what you write -- because someone else is watching what you write!

5. Be Extremely Careful about Meeting Someone in Person

The FBI gives an all-out blanket warning: “Never meet anyone in person that you meet online.” That said, many teens do make good friends online. You just have to be super-cautious and make sure other people you know and trust also know this “new” online person.

If you do decide to meet the new person, bring your parents with you. All of you meet together in a public area like a mall where there are tons of people around. Ask that the person’s parents come, too. If the situation feels creepy, it probably is creepy! Just like in the real world, trust your gut instincts -- and walk away.

6. Your Parents Are Ultimately Responsible for Minors Online

Even if your parents don’t know much about the Internet, tell them what types of web sites you go to. They will probably be interested and impressed with your Internet skills. They may also help you avoid potential problems if a web site or new "friend" looks sketchy.

Some Extra Words of Caution

Almost Everything on the Internet Is Traceable

Every search, web site visit, online posting and email is registered or recorded somewhere on the Internet. Once you send something out on the Internet, it's almost impossible to take it back. You have to be careful -- not impulsive -- when you write email or go to chat rooms.

People Live in "Fantasyland" Online

Even though someone writes, “Hi, I’m a really cool 15-year-old guy from New York City,” in reality that guy may be a 60-year-old man or even your next-door neighbor. Use scrutiny and caution.

Your Information Can Be Sold to Others

Every web site has this thing called a “privacy policy.” It will tell you how that web site uses all the personal information about you, like your name. In some cases, though, when you’re not looking, some web sites ignore their privacy policy and sell your email address to other companies. When you open your email one day, you might have 150 spam emails in your inbox as a result. If a web site is asking for too much information about you, take control and leave the site. (Again, would you give this information to some older stranger at the mall? Probably not.)

What about Nude Photos and Sex Sites?

You’ve probably come across some explicit sexual material on the Internet. That’s because pornography is big business on the web. If you come across a pornography site or get pornographic email, take control: Leave the site or delete the email.

Remember, pornography is not real life. It's made up -- the men and women are acting. In real life, real people don't act that way with each other. There are much better ways to learn about real sex if you're curious -- like WebMD’s Teen Health Channel.

Is It Safe to Post Photos of Myself on the Internet?

No way! In terms of bad ideas, this one tops the chart! John Shehan from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children based in Alexandria, Virginia, says that posting or emailing sexual pictures of yourself can be embarrassing -- and dangerous. “Teens quickly learn the hard way that images are forever memorialized online, and they are almost impossible to delete,” Shehan says.

If someone asks you to send them sexual pictures, be very suspicious -- and don't do it. Alert your parents. Shehan says that teens who send out one sexual picture can sometimes be blackmailed to send more, when the sexual predator threatens to post the first picture online for millions to see -- or show it to your family or friends.

How Do I Report Creepy or Illegal Things Online?

While most Internet activity is legal, occasionally you might come across something that just seems wrong, creepy or even scares you. The first thing to do is tell your parents -- just like you’d do if a creep talked dirty to you at the movies. Your parents can support you and help you make the right decisions about what to do next. If you decide to report the suspicious activity or person, there are two web sites you can go to:

For computer hacking, online stealing, or similar suspicious or illegal activity, go to www.ic3.gov. Follow the instructions for how to report what you saw.
For any suspicious activity involving sexual messages, someone sending you nude photos or asking you to send nude photos, someone trying to get you to do sexual things, or any other sexually related incident, go to www.cybertipline.com".

The tip about not posting inappropriate pictures cannot be stressed enough! Here is one last quick video on the importance of thinking before you post pictures of yourself online.