HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuron Expositor, 2006-12-06, Page 7News
Communication Mo. 1 tool in
kids' internet safety: speaker
Chery Heath
Warren Nightingale is encouraging area
parents to be the POS (parent over the shoul-
der) in their children's lives.
Nightingale, who was in Huron County
recently to present a Net savvy course,
Parenting the Net Generation, says communi-
cation is the No. 1 tool parents should arm
themselves with in order to prevent their
children from becoming victims of internet
bullying, scams, hoaxes and predators.
Statistics on computer usage for .youth are
staggering, says Nightingale.
He challenged the dozen workshop partici-
pants to guess the answer to the following.
question: Sixty per cent of students in this
grade use the computer for an average of one
hour a day, 57 per cent download music, 75
per cent do homework online, 62 per cent use
a web cam and 29 per cent have their own
personal Internet account. Which grade is it?
The answer? Grade 6.
Nightingale, who is employed by the
Ottawa -based Media Literacy Network, says
Canada is a world leader in the Net, especial-
ly in terms of providing high-speed access.
That reality, he says, has created a genera-
tion of children that regard the Net as an
extension of their social lives.
"Gone is the stereotype of the isolated com-
puter nerd,' says Nightingale.
Rather, students spend countless hours
Instant Messaging (IM), in chat rooms, visit-
ing web sites, downloading music and upload-
ing photos.
The good news, says Nightingale; is the Net
is helping to create a generation of students
that excel at multitasking, and are generally
more confident, and with a higher sense of
self esteem, thanks to the extensive network
of friends on the web.
In contrast, however, there is a understand-
ing, too, that the Net impedes one's ability to
empathize with others on line since the abili-
ty to read verbal cues and interpret tones is
not present.
Plus, says Nightingale, the ability for youth
Net users to have "hundreds" of friends on
their IM may give them an elevated sense of
social status.
An awareness of that celebrity -driven cul-
ture is important, says Nightingale, especial-
ly when it comes to understanding the sites
the children are regularly visiting.
In showcasing some of the top sites, from
the going -out -of -style MySpace.com, to the up
and coming YouTube, Nightingale says it is
imperative for parents to teach children how
to discriminate between what is marketing
and what is real.
In unveiling some of the ways marketers
attempt to draw children in, Nightingale
notes there are many online games, designed
around a product or special brand name. He
notes even liquor -based websites contain
marketing that is likely to draw in youths.
Nightingale points to the popular Neopets
web site as one particularly popular with
girls in Grades 4 to 7.
On the site, youngsters sign lip for free. The
•
site is paid for through advertising revenue
and product placement aimed at- developing
brand loyalty.
"It's important that kids are also taught
these are commercials," says Nightingale.
While one parent participating in the work-
shop found it comforting that the worst-case
scenario from basic Internet usage is, "my
child is going to want Lucky Charms in the
morning." Another found the tactics to be
akin to mind control and to be "scary." .
Nightingale notes that three-quarters of
children surveyed did not recognize the
games as advertisements.
Another problem area for the Net is that it
is unregulated, says Nightingale, so children
can type their way into virtually any site they
choose to, simply by lying about their age on
registration pages that require a minimum
age limit.
Yet, says Nightingale, the most troubling
reality for youth Net use is that many chil-
dren use their real names, ages and address-
es while registering on line.
By doing this, he says, children can be leav-
ing themselves open to Net predators that
will attempt to befriend ` them in order to
build trust with the youth.
Chatrooms are especially troubling, too,
says Nightingale, because some of them show
the user how far away the person on line is
geographically.
The best way to avoid the type of scenario
where a Net predator can stalk a child is to
ensure the child never gives his/herr real
name or address when registering on line,
urges Nightingale.
Another problem area for Net use involves
cyber bullying. One way a youth can be
harassed on the Net is via a friend who is
able to hack into his/her account because
he/she knows the person's password.
That's why, says Nightingale, it is impera-
tive for youths never to share their password
with anyone, even their BF (Best Friend), just
in case the friendship turns sour.
And, he says, if other forms of bullying
behaviour, like a student is targeting another
student with nasty messages on a web page,
the aggressor must be approached and dealt
with by authorities. The aggressor is almost
always someone the victim knows, according
to statistics.
Most importantly, says Nightingale, chil-
dren must be taught that what goes on the
Net can stay there in one form or another for-
ever. He says there have already been numer-
ous cases where a person's job or scholarship
offer were withdrawn because of postings
found on line.
And, he adds, parents must take computers
out of bedrooms and keep them in common
areas. Webcams must also be capped when
not in use as they can be easily hacked by
voyeurs.
Finally, when a child is IMing, parents are
urged to monitor what is being said.
If a parent sees a "POS," it's a good thing. It
means the youth is telling a friend there is a
Parent Over Shoulder.
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