Quarterly Newsletter
Stay Safe Online
 “It’s just fun, an easy way to stay in touch with my friends – and to make new ones.” That’s what most kids say about social networking sites like MySpace, which recently captured a 50% market share (ten times that of Yahoo!) on the New York Stock Exchange.
But the site’s popularity has also caught the attention of parents and law enforcement officials concerned about how young people use MySpace, and sites like it, to post personal – and often provocative – information for the world to see. And young people worry too.
Unfortunately, studies support our fears. The Crimes against Children Research Center at the University of New Hampshire looked at young people who were online at least once a month for six months. The study reported that in 2005 about 33% of children 10-17 were exposed to sexual material and nearly 15% received unwanted sexual solicitations.
Here are a few tips to help everyone stay safe online
FOR PARENTS —
 Educate yourself. Ironically, you can visit internet safety sites to learn how to keep your children safe. Try fbi.gov/publications/pguide/ pguidee.htm
(an FBI site) or isafe.org.
Be nosy. Put the computer in a central location – like the family room or the kitchen – so you can look over your child’s shoulder.
Filter. Invest in software that prevents access to sites you believe are inappropriate.
Talk with your kids. Get them thinking about how they represent themselves. And make rules about use – like respecting others and reporting harmful behaviors.
Emphasize safety. Tell your kids that the don’t-talk-to-strangers rule still applies and that it’s okay for them to tell you about anyone who tries to contact them.
Check the site. Ask your children to show you their postings. But if they’re unwilling to share, don’t give up. You can still see for yourself when you install monitoring software.
FOR USERS —
Shop wisely. Before you join a social networking site, find out whether you can limit the people who have access to your postings. Or can anyone from anywhere view your information?
Hold back information. Sure, you know enough not to post your full name, social security number, address, or phone number. But you should also be careful not to mention what school you attend or where you like to hang out – or you’ll just help strangers locate you. And when you post photos, make sure what you’re wearing doesn’t make you easy to find. Avoid clothes, for instance, with the name of your school or service club on them.
Disguise your screen name. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out who you are or where you’re from if you include real information – even in some clever form – as part of your screen name.
Think about your profile. Remember anyone can see what you post: your parents, teachers, the police, college admissions officers, potential employers – and predators. Do you want them to see what’s there?
Never go alone to meet an online contact. No matter how well you think you connected, you simply don’t know a person you meet online – and you don’t know his (or her) intentions.
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| Winter 2007
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