Teenagers and The Internet

Ms Julie CluneSaint Ignatius’ College

What are the issues? Spending a lot of time online Being on MSN whilst studying Access to inappropriate material either on

web sites or through SPAM Downloading harmful files Advertising themselves inappropriately Making friends with the wrong people

online Bullying

Spending a lot of time online Limit the number of hours your children

are online for. Purchase control software that blocks

them out. Get your children involve in a range of

other activities such as sport, mind games, helping around the home

What does MSN look like?

Being on MSN whilst studying MSN work very well. That is why it is

popular. It can be used by your children to clarify

homework concerns. Your children are likely to have multiple

conversations going at once. Very little actual homework can be done

when there are multiple conversations happening.

Access to inappropriate material either on web sites or through SPAM

Access to inappropriate material either on web sites or through SPAM Keep your computer software up to date

with the latest patches. (Tuesdays in particular)

Keep Spyware and Anti-virus software up to date. Purchase reliable versions.

Investigate Filtering software http://internet-filter-review.toptenreviews.com/ http://www.softforyou.com/ Scan your computers every day

Access to inappropriate material either on web sites or through SPAM Don’t click on a link in an email, unless

you know where it will go. Never enter your password for any

financial institution unless it is a web site you know to be authentic.

Maintain a watch over the History log. Enable your children to inform you they

come across material that is inappropriate.

Downloading harmful files Know what your children are downloading. Control their access to “agreed on” sites. Supervise the process with them so they

don’t make mistakes. Set Traffic Limits

Advertising themselves inappropriately Blogging Chat room Email MSN Web Pages You Tube Avatars And what ever comes next…

Advertising themselves inappropriately Don’t use nicknames which are unsuitable

for their age group, in particular provocative terms.

Don’t include personal information. Don’t include content inappropriate for

general display. Don’t add photos that are of good digital

quality. Don’t swear, put people down or spread

rumours about others. Be open about the content with parents

MySpace or Wikis

Search possibilities

Making friends with the wrong people online Don’t assume every person you meet

online is telling you the truth. Believe the opposite.

Don’t arrange to meet new online friends. Only invite people you’ve met in personal

to chat with you online. Don’t give away personal information. Block people you don’t know who have

joined via other people’s conversations. Don’t delete your chat logs.

Bullying New technologies expand the

opportunities to connect with people in both positive and negative ways.

Online bullying can be spread faster than in person.

Never share you password. Comments or photographs can be easily

copied and distributed in the online environment.

Libel laws as well as harassment laws cover the new technologies.

What can you do? Being online brings the world to your

home. Imagine all of the things that go on in the

world and ask yourself "How much does my child need to be exposed to?"

Children are used to boundaries. Going online shouldn't be any different.

In the real world does your child; Go to play at a friend’s house

unsupervised? Go to Rundle mall unsupervised? Go to Hindley Street unsupervised? Go to the beach unsupervised? Go to the show unsupervised? Go overseas unsupervised? Talk to strangers unsupervised? Share personal information to people

they've just met?

How do you currently manage these risks? You educate yourself about the dangers or

you are already aware of them. You go with them so that they can experience

new places safely with you looking out for the dangers.

You explain what those dangers are. You give them strategies to deal with the

temptation or peer pressure to ignore your instructions about the dangers.

You outline the consequences of not heeding your advice.

You teach them how to treat others

Terms you need to know Adware Blocking Blogging Chat logs Cookie Hacking Malware Keylogger MySpace Patches

Phishing RSS Feeds Sharing Folders Spoof Spyware Trojan Virus Wireless Wiki Worm

Where do you go from here? Educate yourself about email, blogging,

chat lines, MSN, MySpace, Gaming NetGuide magazine, MSN Safety Guides Security Patches Antivirus updates Establish and maintain trusting

relationships Consider installing Parental Control

software Don’t be an ostrich