CyberSafety Report Released – Where’s The Outrage?
After a yearlong study, The Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University has issued a report on “Enhancing Child Safety & Online Technologies”. There are many news articles coming out this week from a variety of sources.
Like this one from the Associated Press, ANICK JESDANUN, http://tinyurl.com/NotTechnologyAlone , Anick explains that technology alone is not the answer and many other articles state that parent involvement is the number one deterrent to children practicing safe behaviors on the internet but what is missing from this report and the accompanying articles is EDUCATION.
Here is what our founder said today after reading the report:
“Everyone in the industry agrees that there is no fool-proof technology that 100% protects minors from inappropriate content, predators and cyber-bullying online,” says Greg Writer, CEO of the Children’s Educational Network. “However, parents and children have access to tools and educational content that creates a safer browsing experience on the Web. As a society we need to take charge and motivate children to become empowered and informed Internet citizens. Education is the solution. We need to take a page from the State of Virginia’s book and enact legislation that will implement mandatory Internet safety curriculum in schools nationwide.”
So far, only the State of Virginia has mandated Internet Safety Education into their curriculum and only Children’s Educational Network provides technology along with parent and child education. Where is the outrage? Educate to protect, that’s the solution! That’s what this study says without saying it, and without mandating it.
ClubTUKI.com
Children’s Educational Network has been a leader in the industry for years by combining education with our cutting edge technology to protect and educate children on the internet. We have found that it’s best to get to the kids directly so we have focused our efforts toward the children by creating a patented rewards engine tied to educational games.
Kids play our educational games and earn a virtual currency, TUKI Moola, that they can then use in our TUKI auction, to purchase real prizes, like Nintendo Wii’s, IPod’s, etc. We work hard at getting and keeping the kids interested enough to keep coming back to learn and play more.
But again, parent involvement is key. You may be asking yourself, “What can I do”? You may be saying “My seven year old knows more than I do about computers! How can I teach him?” Here are some tips to help:
• Keep an open dialogue with your kids – make them feel comfortable about coming to you with inappropriate situations.
• Create your own profiles on the kid’s social networking sites. Have the kid’s help you create your profile and make it a family affair.
• Check in on your kid’s profiles on a regular basis, post comments on their pages letting them a
nd their friends know that you do check up on the profile.
• Watch the videos on internet safety at sites like http://www.netsmartz.org or www.webwisekids.com.
• Utilize the free technology that is out there like our Kid Safe Browser available at www.internetsafetyforchildren.com
• Talk with your kids about what “private” information is and why they should not share this information.
• Explain the long term consequences of posting inappropriate information, photos, comments, etc.
• Remind them that once it is on the internet it takes on a life of its own and you no longer have control over who can or cannot see it.
Parents, educators, advocates, grandparents, the media and the like are paramount to protecting our children online. We have to do a better job at educating our youth on safe internet practices.
Great post! The solution of course is not to restrict the technology to children, but that impede access to inappropriate content is very easy as today.
[...] The study put out last month says that parents should be more concerned about threats from peers. To make things worse,the majority of the comments that have been posted to these articles are in defense of the predators and their loss of civil liberties. This is most disturbing. Since when did having access to children become a civil liberty for sex offenders? [...]
knowledge is power…
Listed below are links to weblogs that reference A Rite of Passage: Working towards a Driving Permit… :…
I also agree that parents play a very important role in educating our children on how to be a responsible internet user and to add software that can help parents in guarding kids against harmful elements is a great idea.
I read so many articles about protecting children from online bullying and I tend to want to put them in the same catagory as protecting them from schoolyard violence and other menacing issues facing young people today. In every case I have to wonder why we want to treat the disease instead of the cause. Society has to look at what we have done to create this type of behaviour. I personally think it’s very obvious. The old computer expression garbage in, garbage out applies so well. If we spoonfeed our children violence, inappropriate heroes and glorify creatures like many gangster rappers, what else can we expect. The Beattles said All you need is love…we need to rewrite that line and make it All you need is empathy. Children must be taught that getting hit hurts, bullying hurts, ridiculing and intimidating hurts. Let’s start with the toddlers and teach them to care. Write broadcasters and media producers who threaten our children with their garbage. Praise the ones that want to make a difference. Your child maybe the next target.