Internet Privacy

[CACAdmin]

According to a recent poll, 70% of kids still believe what they post on the internet is private. See the article here (http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20070124/kids_poll_070124/20070124?hub=SciTech).

It makes me wonder how many adults also assume this, especially when it comes to email and private messages which are not private. Please see Melody's original post of the subject: Forum Privacy (http://www.canadianaquariumconnection.com/forum/showthread.php?t=49)

Please keep this in mind yourself whenever you are on the internet and educate your kids!

[Melody]

There is an episode of a kids' show called "Smart Guy" that covers the dangers on the Internet. An adult is in a games chat room and offers to sell them bootleg games for a song. They go to his house to pick them up and he wants to show them a new game he's working on, which involves them stripping down to their underwear because they don't have bathing suits with them. I highly recommend the episode for anyone who has surfing kids.

Most importantly, SUPERVISE. Net Nanny and other programs do NOT provide absolute insurance. In fact, Net Nanny is rated as one of the top programs but that's overall. These ratings include things like easy of installation and how user friendly the program is. In comparisons, guess where Net Nanny came up short? Blocking sites. That's right - the one thing you want it to be good at :rolleyes: . PLUS, many of these programs only have a pop-up that says its an inappropriate site - it doesn't cover the page so the kids can see what's around the pop-up. Ever see what can be around a pop-up on a p*rn site? They're easy to fool too - there is one such site that is hidden under a government URL that a kid could easily happen upon while doing research for a school assignment.

For years I refused to sign a waiver saying that my Son could use the Internet at school, because it said the school was not responsible for what they saw online. I beg your pardon? Well SOMEONE better be responsible for what my 7 year old sees on the internet, thank you very much. Before the waivers. he came home with a joke site that his friends had taken him to at school. The joke he showed me was fine, but the other jokes were very much adult, such as 'Snowman BJ' without the abbreviation, and police-hating material. Stuff that wouldn't offend me, but I certainly don't want my kid to see it.

Its not a babysitter and its not safe. You'd be surprised at how many parents blasted us at Microsoft because little teenage Johnny accessed a p*rn site. You'd be equally surprised at how many of these kids had interenet access in their bedrooms. Well ummm... raging teenage hormones and access to those sites - what do you think he's going to do online?

What they can see online is just the beginning of the dangers. Don't bury your head in the virtual sand - educate and supervise your children.