Internet Predators: What’s It All About?
Getting the Facts
         -Internet Activity Defined
         -A Parent’s Guide to Safer Surfing
 

Empowerment is key!
At least twenty per cent of all youth are solicited for sexual purposes on the Internet. (Crimes Against Children Research Center, 2000.)  The media reports that youth find themselves in compromising situations while social networking through sites such as My Space and Face Book. However, chat rooms are really most dangerous on-line destination for youth.  Most youth go through a period in their teen years where even in a stable family environment, many experience turbulent times.  When teens go online searching for comfort or a listening ear, they don’t have to search long to find someone.  That someone could be a 40-year-old man, masquerading as a youth their age, becoming everything the teen needs to feel good about themselves.  The predator’s ultimate goal is to groom and lure the teen from the comfort of their home for sexual purposes. 

Irresponsible online behavior raises a broad variety of safety issues ranging from online bullying and risky encounters in chat rooms.

• Illegal Content (pornography, hate speech, racism, etc.) should be reported to your local police department, or the Cyber Tip Line.
• Harmful content (undesirable content which is not necessarily illegal) can also be reported.

Internet Activity Defined

If you have children, especially teenagers, in your home, you will want to become familiar with the common activity they will likely engage in.  The following are quick definitions for you to help you learn the language.  Should you desire further information, go to your favorite search engine to get in depth information.

Blogging
Definition: A blog is a website for which an individual or a group frequently generates text, photographs, video or audio files, and/or links, typically (but not always) on a daily basis. The term is a shortened form of weblog.  Also, think about it as an online diary.

Podcasting
Contraction of “iPod” and “broadcasting.” Posting audio and video material on a blog and its RSS feed, for digital players.

RSS (Really Simple Syndication)
A way of handling the latest items posted on a website, especially suited for blogs because it alerts users whenever their favorite blogs are updated. It can also “syndicate” content by allowing other websites to reproduce all or part of a site’s content.

Web diary
A blog.

Copyright Information
Definition: The legal right of creative artists or publishers to control the use and reproduction of their original works.

Chat
Definition: Online chat can refer to any kind of communication over the internet, but is primarily meant to refer to direct 1 on 1 chat or public or private chat rooms, or using tools such as instant messenger applications

Instant Messaging
Definition: Instant messaging is the act of instantly communicating between two or more people on the Internet.  It requires the use of a client program that hooks up an instant messaging service and differs from e-mail in that conversations are in real time with no delay. Examples of programs to download are Yahoo! Messenger, AIM, MSN, and ICQ,
   

Acronym
What exactly is an Acronym? An acronym is a pronounceable word formed from each of the first letters of a descriptive phrase. An acronym is actually a type of abbreviation.

Here's an example of an acronym: North Atlantic Treaty Organization = NATO
Here is a brief example of some of the typical acronyms commonly used by teens today. They are the same for both online and in text messaging.

• 121: one to one
• ADN: any day now
• AFAIK: as far as I know
• AFK: away from keyboard
• A/S/L: age, sex, location
• B4: before
• B4N: bye for now
• BF: boyfriend
• GF: girlfriend
• BG: big grin
• BTW: by the way
• CID: crying in disgrace
• CNP: continued (in my) next post
• HDOP: help delete online predators

Online Gaming
•   Definition: Online Games are those which are played over the Internet. Online gaming began with PC games, but has expanded over time to include most modern consoles. It is now a key feature of modern games, with the inclusion of Internet connectivity in consoles such as the PlayStation 2 and Xbox, and in cell phones.

Cyberbullying:
•   Definition:  Cyber bullying is the use of electronic information and communication devices such as e-mail, instant messaging, text messages, cell phones, pagers and insulting websites to bully or otherwise harass an individual or group through personal attacks or other means.

Hate speech / Racism:
•   Definition:  Hate speech is a controversial term for speech intended to degrade, intimidate, or incite violence or prejudicial action against someone based on his/her race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, or disability.
 

Phishing / Spoofing:
Definition:  a form of social engineering, characterized by attempts to fraudulently acquire sensitive information, such as passwords and credit card details, by masquerading as a trustworthy person or business in an apparently official electronic communication, such as an email or an instant message. The term phishing arises from the use of increasingly sophisticated lures to "fish" for users' financial information and passwords.

Spam:
Definition: Spamming is the use of any electronic communications medium to send unsolicited messages to someone in bulk. While its definition is usually limited to indiscriminate bulk mailing and not any targeted marketing, the term "spam" can refer to any commercially oriented, unsolicited bulk mailing perceived as beiers a broad category of malicious software designed to intercept a computer's operation without the informed consent of that machine's owner or legitimate user.

• Adware is software that contains advertisements to make money for the people who wrote the program. Many adware programs are legitimate, such as a display of an unobtrusive banner.
• Spyware goes a step further by collecting information about you and sending it to advertisers. This information can include things like the web sites you visit or the files you open. Some of it goes as far as attempting to discover bank accounts or credit card numbers and sending it to undisclosed recipients.

Contact your Internet service provider to learn more about protecting your computer’s information.

A Parent’s Guide to Safer Surfing

Discover the Internet together. For both parent and child it is an advantage to discover the Internet together. Try to find web sites that are exciting and fun. Hopefully you will achieve a positive and conscious attitude to Internet exploration, which could make it easier to share both positive and negative experiences in the future.

Agree with your child on a framework for Internet use in your home.
Try to reach an agreement with your child on the guidelines which apply to Internet use in your household. Here are some tips to get started:
- How to treat your personal information (name, address, telephone, e-mail)
- How to behave towards others on the net (chat, e-mailing, messaging, manners)
- What type of sites and activities are OK or not OK in your family

Encourage your child to be careful when disclosing personal information.
It is important that adults are aware that many web pages made for children require giving out personal information to access content. Being conscious of when and where it is all right to reveal personal information is vital. A simple rule could be that the child should not give out name, phone number or picture without your approval.

Talk about the risks associated with meeting an online ‘friend’ face to face.
Adults should understand that the Internet could be a positive meeting place for children, where they can get to know other children and make new friends. However, to avoid unpleasant experiences, it is important that children do not meet strangers they have met on the net without being accompanied by you or another trusted adult. 

Teach your child about source criticism on the net.
Most children use the Internet to improve and develop knowledge in relation to schoolwork and personal interests. Net users should be aware that not all information found online is correct. Educate children on how to verify information they find by comparing to alternative sources on the same topic.

Don't be too critical towards your child's exploration of the Internet.
Children may come across adult material by accident on the Web. If a child intentionally searches for such web sites, remember that it is natural for children to be curious about off-limits material; curiosity tells us a child is maturing and seeking information.  Try to use this as an opening to discuss the content with them, and perhaps make rules for this kind of activity. Be realistic in your assessment of how your child uses the Internet.

Report online material you may consider illegal to the proper authorities such as your local police department.
It is vital that we all take responsibility for the Web and report matters, which we believe could be illegal. By doing this we can help to prevent illegal activities online, such as child-pornography or attempts to lure children via chat, mail or messaging.

Encourage good Netiquette.
Netiquette is the informal code of conduct for the Internet. As in everyday life, there are informal ethical rules for how to behave when relating to other people on the Internet. These include being polite, using correct language and not yell at (write in capital letters) or harass others.

Know your child’s net use.
To be able to guide your child’s Internet use, it is important to understand how children use the Internet and know what they like to do on-line. Let your child show you which websites they like visiting and what they do there. Acquiring technical knowledge could also make it easier to make the right decisions about your child’s Internet use.  Take a few hours on a weekend and let your child teach you what they know; you may get quite an education!

Remember that the positive aspects of the Internet outweigh the negatives.
The Internet is an excellent educational and recreational resource for children. Encourage your child to be conscious and explore the Internet to its full potential.  A few simple guidelines, and your constant monitoring will allow for a safe and enjoyable online experience. 

Other useful information:

• Keep the computer in an open area, like the kitchen or family room, so you can keep an eye on where your kids are online and what they’re doing.
• Use the Internet with your kids. Be open to learning about the technology so you can keep up with them. 
• Make sure your kids’ screen names don’t say too much about them. Explain why it’s inappropriate — even dangerous — to use their full name, age, or hometown. Even if your kids think their screen name makes them anonymous, it doesn’t take a genius to combine clues to figure out who kids are and where they can be found.
• Remind your kids that once they post information online, they can’t take it back.  Even if they delete the information from a site, older versions exist on other people’s computers.  –The Internet is forever.
• Tell your children to trust their gut if they have suspicions. If they feel threatened by someone or uncomfortable because of something online, they need to tell you and then report it to the police and the social networking site. You could end up preventing someone else from becoming a victim. 
• If you’re concerned that your child is engaging in risky online behavior, you can search the blog sites they visit to see what information they’re posting. Try searching by their name, nickname, school, hobbies, grade, or area where you live.