The Mobile Parent Blog

According to a study from MSN, more than half of teens frequently surf the web without any supervision. The research into online habits of 20,000 teenagers in Europe also revealed that 29 percent had been bullied online.

European Commission has unveiled new safety guidelines designed to protect youngsters online. The guidelines have been signed by a number of popular websites, including Facebook, Bebo and You Tube. The firms have agreed to implement steps that protect youngsters, such as including a “Report Abuse” button online and making the profiles of under 18s private by default.

To read the complete article, go to http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/news/index.cfm?NewsID=110647.

David Burt, who runs the Filtering Facts blog, discusses survey results published by Trend Micro. David says

A new survey of parents from security vendor Trend Micro that the percentage of parents using filters is holding steady at 55%.  This is almost the same as a Pew survey in 2005, which found that 54% were using Internet parental controls.  A survey in the European Union earlier this year found 59% of parents using parental controls.

From the Trend Micro press release:

Parents may have a misperception of their kids’ online safety — over 65 percent of parents surveyed believe their kids are safe while using the Internet and 60 percent are not concerned about kids coming into contact with cyber threats such as spam and viruses, or inappropriate content such as nudity and gambling through Internet-related devices like game consoles aside from the computer. While the parental control feature in a security software program is a tool parents can use to prevent kids from accessing inappropriate Web site content – especially since 63 percent of parents surveyed said they will not be sending their kids to daycare or summer camps (and will likely be home alone) this year due to tighter family budgets — 45 percent of them said they either don’t have it, or they don’t know if they do. In addition, 30 percent of parents think their kids are protected from inappropriate Web site content.

As a parent, you always feel the need to educate your children about keeping themselves safe when they are online. In addition to the parental control software, like Mobicip, available in market today, promoting critical thinking for kids about appropriate behavior on cell phones and the internet is essential. These are some of the useful websites that provides valuable tips on online safety.

www.safekids.com

www.ncpc.org

www.netfamilynews.org

www.cybertipline.com

www.cyberbullying.us

www.csriu.org

www.netsmartz.org

www.wirelessamberalerts.org

While Sony’s PSP and Nintendo’s DS are primarily used as portable gaming consoles, they can also be connected to the internet through a wireless broadband connection. The main intent behind this is to download games off the web and compete with other players remotely.

Are these browsers very popular among kids who are busy playing games? The answer surprisingly is yes. With readily available Wifi networks, kids accidentally access inappropriate content/messaging and become easy targets to cyber predators through these gaming consoles. There are many forums where concerned parents share information on internet safety and consumer advocacy groups raise concerns about unsupervised internet access to kids using such devices.

However, both PSP and DS come with parental controls to block or control internet access. In addition, parents should also take time to have a dialogue with their kids about internet safety and sharing personal information since kids as young as 7 years old are attracted to these gaming devices.

Online Safety is equally important at home and outside home, especially at school where a kid spends most of his/her day. A parent can always supervise a child’s online activity at home on a day-to-day basis. There are several tools available in the market today to enforce rules on a child’s online activities at home. But is the child safe online at school?

Statistically, kids are safer online at school than at home. The students are usually better supervised at school by teachers, librarians and media specialists. Also, most schools, if not all, use monitoring technologies to oversee the students’ online activities.  Many schools block instant messaging and chat as this is the predominant medium for cyber predators.

However, as a parent, you are responsible to make sure your child’s school has policies in place to enforce online safety. There are several questions you can ask the school, some of which are,

1. Does the school communicate the rules to students and parents and the consequences of violating them?
2. Does the school protect all student’s personal information on their website?
3. What kind of web content filtering does the school provide?
4. What if students cyberbully others?

A team effort of parents, teachers, librarians, safety officers and school officials can make progress in ensuring that students’ online experience is as safe as possible.

President-Elect Obama has stated that he would create a Chief Technology Officer position when he takes over the presidency.  Internet safety groups have taken notice and are now pushing for an additional office to be created specifically to protect children’s safety while online.  The Family Online Safety Institute (FOSI) just sent in a report last week asking President-Elect Obama to also create a National Safety Officer to serve under the CTO.  Washington Post writer Kim Hart recently wrote an interesting article regarding this topic.  Here’s what I gathered to be the most valuable points:

Parental controls and internet safety have become increasingly more relevant in the media these last couple of months due to the conviction of the Missouri woman who was found to have caused the suicide of a 13-year old girl by committing computer fraud on MySpace.  The increased usage of social networking sites, instant messaging and cellphones is definitely proving to be a growing challenge.  While agencies and individual companies are trying to do their part individually, a coordinated approach may help institutions like FOSI to be more effective.  Stephen Balkman, Chief Executive of FOSI, states that “We need to react more swiftly to the challenges new technology brings.  We see a lot of activity in the industry and some agencies, but I don’t see overall coordination we can work off of.”

While I think that this is positive news, let’s not forget that the most valuable internet safety solution we have at our disposal is entirely controllable by ourselves.  Software tools and government help are nice, but we need to educate today’s youth about the dangers of the internet;  remind them to stay safe online by not giving away personal information.  Make them feel comfortable enough to report if somebody is bullying them online.  If we educate them properly, they will be more prepared to deal with dangerous situations that may arise.  Having government help is great, but the onus lies on us to pass along our knowledge to the more youthful population.

Last night, I was engaged in a forum discussion with a 15 year old teenager on MacRumors.  If you’d like to follow the action, you can view the forum thread here.  Here’s the gist of the conversation:

A poster had started a thread asking if anybody knew of a parental controls application for the iPod touch.  She was worried about her child accessing the internet and downloading applications via the App Store.  The teen responded by saying that she was too controlling; if she didn’t trust her child to use an iPod touch, what was she going to do when she became eligible to drive?  He then proceeded to state the reasons why he had a huge problem with filtering solutions like Mobicip.  If you are installing a filtering device, there’s either 2 things going on; 1) you don’t trust your child and they’ll resent you for it, or 2) your child is too young and you shouldn’t be purchasing a device for them.

To me, his opinion is too black and white.  Ultimately, there are well-documented dangers lurking within the internet.  As a parent (well, not really…I don’t have kids yet, but I do have 4 young nieces!), parents have the responsibility to protect their children from all dangers in life, both digitally and physically.  Just because you install a filtering device on your child’s device does not mean you don’t trust them; you’re just installing a tool to help eliminate some of the dangers of the internet.  As an analogy, you wouldn’t buy a car for your teenager that didn’t have an airbag, right?

Secondly, I think kids are using the internet at an earlier age now more than ever, regardless of whether they are browsing on a computer/laptop or a device like the iPod touch.  In fact, recent surveys have shown that internet usage is eating away at the time children spend watching television.  The reality is, younger and younger children are accessing the internet, and many may not be as responsible as the teen I was conversing with (I’ll give him credit, he does sound very tech savvy and responsible).  Filtering solutions are not a necessity, but parents should definitely have the OPTION to install one if they so choose.

One area where I do agree with him is that parents must go over ground rules with their child regarding internet usage, regardless of whether they use a filtering solution or not.  Communications is a key component of earning trust and instilling in your child responsible browsing.  When I was growing up, the message was much simpler; DON’T EVER TALK TO STRANGERS!  Times have certainly changed.  In this day and age, the internet is becoming commonplace in our world and it’s up to us to protect those that may not know any better.

I would love to hear various opinions.  Thoughts?

The C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital at the University of Michigan conducts an annual poll to rank the top 10 U.S. Children’s Health concerns.  In 2007, parents rated Internet Safety as the 7th most concerning topic.  So what happened in 2008?  Internet Safety jumped up two spots to #5, overtaking Alcohol Abuse and Teen Pregnancy.  Childhood Obesity leapfrogged Drug Abuse and Smoking to claim the top spot as the most concerning health issue faced by children today.  The latest results are shown below.  To read the full story, you can find the report here.

No doubt, the rising concerns over cyberbullying, the increasing number of porn sites, and the relative anonymity of people using the internet are causing parents more concern.  These rankings just reinforce the notion that parental controls are a necessary tool to reassure parents while their children browse the internet.  Let’s face it; the internet is now ingrained in society and the usefulness as a learning tool are well-documented.  It’s just a matter of protecting the vehicles in which the children are using to access this data.  Robust features are necessary as all parents have different standards over what constitutes an appropriate vs. inappropriate site.

What do you think about these rankings?  Share your thoughts with us by using the comment feature!

In the article, “Tracking Your Teen,” Julie Evans writes about the necessity to couple technology solutions with constant communication with your child.  Parental controls technology is out there, but parents cannot just rely on technological solutions;  this can lead to a resentful relationship with your child.  Here’s a quick excerpt from the article:

On any given day, Barb Schmitz, a mother of two from Avon, Ohio, may scroll through her 14-year-old son’s text messages, check her 12-year-old daughter’s homework online, and check Web sites they’ve visited.

“I have friends who think it’s awful what I do. But let’s face it: Teens make bad decisions,” says Barb. “Our role as parents is to make sure that bad decisions don’t lead to tragedy.”

Click here to read the rest of the article.

Being Online can be fun,sociable and inspiring. Here’s a few tips to stay safe when online.

It is important that when you chat, use instant messenger (IM), or participate in other forums, you keep the following things in mind:

1. Be discreet. The information you provide is often public, for all to see. Do not share information or images that you do not want the world to know about or see. Think – your information could be passed on.

2. Be anonymous. Do not share private or very personal information. Never post or send anything that can be used to locate you or another person offline, such as a full name, email or home address or phone number.

3. Be distant. Do not arrange to meet in person anyone you’ve met online. If you must, only meet somewhere that is safe and public, tell someone your plans and then bring a friend along. If you aren’t an adult, get your parent or guardian’s permission first and take them with you.

4. Be honest. You may be tempted to pretend to be someone you are not. The other person may also do the same thing. They may not be who they say they are.

5. Be nice. Don’t take on bullies or cyber-bully anyone else. If someone taunts you, walk away from the computer. Report the person or behaviour to an adult or administrator. It’s supposed to be fun, right?

6. Be clean. Do not open, respond to or forward an email or IM unless you know the person who sent it to you and you’ve checked it for viruses. The content could contain damaging software (such as spyware or viruses) or it might be offensive.

7. Be secure. Use security software (such as virus scanners). Ensure your system is up-to-date and protected in case an email from someone unintentionally infects your computer.

8. Be private. Never share your password or password hints with anyone.

9. Be inventive. Ensure the online IDs you create do not reveal your personal information. Be creative and unique!

10. Beware. If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is! Check the facts if you aren’t sure about something. And remember – you’re in control. You decide which activities to participate in and what information you provide.