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Parents Protecting Children on the World Wide Web
Abstract
This essay provides an overview of how to protect children against accessing inappropriate material on the Internet. In doing so, it addresses a number of issues.
Cheap College Papers on Protecting Children on the WWW
Firstly, it examines the benefits of 'surfing' the World Wide Web. These benefits include accessing a wide range of materials, educational games, e-mail applications, discussion rooms and news breaking broadcasts.
Secondly, there are significant risks associated with surfing the net. Risks such as explicit images, confidentiality issues, misleading information and potentially dangerous activities may be detrimental to children's emotional being.
Thirdly, suggestions for comprehensive parental guidance such as setting basic rules, enhancing interest levels and educating oneself have been outlined in order to prevent accessing inappropriate material.
Fourthly, it is suggested that the use of software filtering applications in the market place may help censor unsuitable content.
Finally, current legislation will be briefly examined. This legislation includes the Childrens Online Privacy Protection Act, Privacy Statements and the Federal Trade Commission Act.
In conclusion, this document will act as a guide for parents to help protect children from the increasingly controversial side of the web by providing an environment that encourages greater self-development, learning and personal enjoyment.
Introduction
The Internet is a large computer network linking millions of smaller networks around the world.
When the Internet was first established, it was to be used exclusively by the American government and select institutes of higher learning. It was never envisaged that it would enter the public domain. Rapid growth and lack of a central controlling body meant that adequate disciplines were never established to control the flow and legitimacy of material submitted.This meant minimal censorship and no legal responsibility.Rapid development in the content available on the Net and the high level of community take-up has caused concern on the part of users, regulators and other interested parties. Previous intellectual capital benefits provided by the Internet have now manifested themselves in sometimes immoral views.This has lead to a push for tighter controls in the form of enforceable rules and regulations.
Although Governments have enacted protection and censorship legislation and Internet site administrators seek to minimise graphically offensive materials, censorship on the web is still not fully comprehensive.Due to economies of scale, regulated censorship will not succeed in protecting our children.In this light it is of the upmost importance that society plays a far more active role in the on-line education of minors.Society may never be able to provide a completely risk free Internet environment however their attempts to regulate censorship via currently available avenues will only assist in protecting our children in the long run.
Parents may not be aware of current Internet trends or of the aforementioned government legislation, however they will become acutely aware of websites that their children are affected by.Parental guidance and Internet education should now comprise a core curriculum in modern society to ensure that further steps are taken to protect children and limit their exposure to inappropriate subject matter.
Recent technological developments and changes to outdated legislation have gone part of the way in assisting with censorship on the Internet. Further development in these areas in conjunction with greater adult and child education about Internet capabilities will surely serve as the most efficient and productive form of censorship available.
Body
Millions of people are currently logging onto the Internet.
Traditional online services have been orientated towards an adult audience. This however is changing. An increasing number of schools are providing students with access and directed use of the Internet because it is beneficial in a number of ways.In addition to this children are increasingly using the Internet at home for educational research and recreational use.
Benefits of using the Internet include enhancing learning by accessing educational and cultural resources, researching and evaluating information, providing access to community and school websites/notice boards, engaging in a variety of learning strategies, communicating via e-mail and chat rooms and processing information to help develop lifelong learning skills.
Essentially, the Internet provides the opportunity for children to access invaluable information. However, it is a world wide medium shared by people of different ages and cultural backgrounds. Therefore, it should be noted that not all Internet sites are not appropriate for all audiences, particularly children.
The Internet, is not governed by any entity. This means that published material is not monitored or scrutinised for its appropriateness. There are no guarantees that material is from a credible source. Therefore there exists a need for parents to be aware of associated risks.
What risks should parents be made aware of?
There are various websites containing explicit images and/or text and inaccurate, misleading, or untrue information. Children are then negatively influenced by this misinformation.A example of this may be a child searching for the American WhiteHouse and actually accessing a pornographic site of the same name by virute of an incorrect root domain name.
Due to the fact that there are many different cultural values, some sites may seem to promote hatred, bigotry, violence and drugs. Sites reflecting these values, may inturn bias the view of its readers, especially children are they are easily influenced.i.e. www.fbi.gov/mostwant/topten/fugitives/laden.htm
Insufficient censorship of material on the Internet has lead to excessive violence and sexual discrimination in games and marketing.In addition to this Children may be exposed to inappropriate material that portrays and promotes acceptance of stereotypes, violent behaviours or dangerous and illegal activities.
The following are excerpts from the transcript of the most recent videotape of Osama bin Laden. As in previous statements, Bin Laden is shown making repeated references to an American crusade against Islam.He claims the brand of terrorism carried out by operatives of his Al Qaeda network against America is a good accepted terrorism with the goal of ending U.S. support for Israel, who is killing our children. The pan-Arabic satellite channel Al-Jazeera broadcast the video on December 6, 001
Our terrorism is a good accepted terrorism because its against America, its for the purpose of defeating oppression so America would stop supporting Israel, who is killing our children.
It became very clear that the West in general and America, head of the infidels in particular, bear hate and grudge agains Islam and Muslims that cannot be described. (http//www.adl.org/terrorism_america/bin_1.asp)
The Internet provides the tools to communicate with others anywhere around the world through e-mail, chat, instant messaging, or other means. For the most part, this is an opportunity to share ideas and meet people in ways that would previously be impossible. The Internet's 'user friendly' method of communication may enable children to be in contact with persons whom parents would not normally approve of. This poses the problem of attempting to restrict childrens associations to exclude those people of questionable nature.
Children's ignorance of potentially illegal actions or dire financial ramifications of their Internet surfing, may place them at risk of being exploited. For example, they may provide their parents credit card number to an unauthorised vendor. This may place their family in a position of jeapordy, where they are legally and/or financially responsible.
How do you protect a child on the Internet?
Parents should develop some simple rules and regulations that work for their family. Adhering to rules will reduce the chance of children being victimised.
Following are suggested rules for children using the Internet
Always ask parents' permission before using your full name, address, telephone number, or school name anywhere on the Internet.
Always tell parents or other trustworthy adults if you see something online that is scary or that you don't understand.
Don't respond to messages that make you feel uncomfortable or uneasy.
Never give out a credit card number or password online.
Never arrange to meet someone you have met online unless you discuss it with your parents and an adult goes with you.
It may be appropriate to take the rules for children a step further and consider some unwritten rules for parents. For example
Keep interested and involved in the child's web surfing. Spend time online and learn about their interests.
Place the computer in a family area.A readily available adult can then help with any questions or problems the child may experience.Establish a trusting relationship, discuss sites and sources of information that are credible and those that are not.
Educate children about netiquette. Netiquette means behaving courteously, considerately and politely in the virtual world.(http//www.childrenspartnership.org/pub/pbpg8/partII8.html#safe)
Make use of available censorship options or install appropriate filtering software to limit access and hence protect your children when using the Internet.
The following types of censorship are available to parents.
Naturally, the most effective way to keep children away from these sites is supervision. Unfortunately, no one can watch everything a child does online all the time. A useful tool in those circumstances is filtering software. Filtering software searches a site for a certain type of content. If found, it restricts the computer from accessing it. A number of companies offer filtering software, including Netnanny, Surfwatch and Cyberpatrol.Freeware can be downloaded from www.tucows.com
In short, there are three main types of filtering. The first method involves using the 'filtering features' that are built into your Internet browser. This restricts access to sites that have been rated appropriate for children.
Another method comprises purchasing or downloading applications that enable you to configure filtering. It is possible to block sites that contain nudity, sexual content, hatred, violence, or material that advocates the use of drugs, tobacco, or alcohol. Chat rooms, newsgroups, noticeboards and even set permissions can also be blocked so that children's personal information cannot be revealed.
A third method of filtering can be provided by Internet Service Providers. Providers can take away the hassles of configuring software and handle all set-up requirements and updates. Consequently, also taking away all your control. The advantage of having your own filtering software is that you can pick what you do and don't want filtered. You have the ability to control disabling of filtering when you or another adult wants to access the Net.
It should be noted that software filters are not infallible. They cannot restrict access to all offensive or inappropriate sites and may indirectly block access to useful and acceptable sites.
Who is responsible for censorship?
Parents have the main responsibility of looking after their child's best interests. However, there are laws and regulations in place to protect Internet users.
Legislation that seeks to provide censorship and protect surfers is the Privacy Statement and the FTC.
Privacy statements are the most important tools you can use to protect your privacy online. In a privacy statement, Web site owners tell you exactly what they will do with the personal information you give them. The privacy statement is a legally binding document.(Trust.e site privacy statement 001)
The Federal Trade Commission Act (U.S.A.) is a law that gives the FTC the power to prohibit unfair and deceptive business practices. This means that as soon as a Web site posts a privacy statement, it is required by law to adhere to it.Should the web site breaks its posted policy the FTC can take legal action against the site owners. In Australia, the Trade Practices Act seeks to protect the rights of businesses and consumers in a similalr manner.
On April 1, 000 The Federal Trade Commission implemented a new act; the Childrens Online Privacy Protection Act of 18 (COPPA). COPPA was introduced to protect the privacy of children using the Internet. This new regulation directed that Web sites must obtain parental consent before collecting, using, or disclosing personal information from children under 1.The act requires all published websites to post privacy statements, and enforces rules that help the parents or guardians protect their children by grantingparents access to all material collected and the right to request the removal of any unwanted details.For full text copies of the rule visit http//www.ftc.gov/os/1/10/index.htm
This final step achieves one of the Commissions top goals - protecting childrens privacy online, said FTC Chairman Robert Pitofsky. The rule meets the mandates of the statute. It puts parents in control over the information collected from their children online, and is flexible enough to accommodate the many business practices and technological changes occurring on the Internet. (http//www.ftc.gov/opa/1/10/childfinal.htm).
Even with the assistance of government mandated legislation, social obligations exist for web masters to post acceptable subject matter, collect and store presonal information in a responsible manner, and parents to accept responsibility to ensure that children are appropriately protected in the home.
Conclusion
The Internet is a marvellous place for all people to visit. Valuable information can be obtained from domains throughout the world. Most sites are perfectly safe, however some are not so desirable. Consequently parents must take precautions to keep their children protected from unwanted material. Responsibility cannot be avoided when it comes to the Internet and family if the child is to be protected. Simple tasks, like placing the computer in a family area can help parents monitor the child's activities, and help with questions or problems the child may have.
Parental guidance is the most important method of controlling unwanted access to the Internet. Supervision and setting basic rules will help prevent your child being in an unintended area of risk.
Software companies offer filtering devices allowing configuration to prohibit access to unwanted material. Internet Service providers and Web Browsers also offer filtering techniques. World Governments have laws in place to protect web surfers, including The Federal Trade Commission Act, Privacy Statements and Childrens Online Privacy Protection Act.
Educating parents and children about the dangers of using the Internet will help avoid problems accessing inappropriate information and also help to increase virtual netiquette.
Reference section
The Childrens Partnership,Getting Started Step by Step http//www.childrenspartnership.org/pub/pbpg8/partII8.html#safe [Access throughout May]
Internet Education Foundation, GetNetWise http//www.getnetwise.org/safetyguide/danger/[Access throughout May]
Australian Library Association, The Librarians Guide to Cyberspace for Parents and Kids http//www.ala.org/parentspage/greatsites/safety.html[Access throughout May]
Federal Trade Commission, How to Comply with The Childrens Online Privacy Protection Rule http//www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/buspubs/coppa.htm[Access throughout May]
Federal Trade Commission, New Rule will Protect Privacy of Children Online http//www.ftc.gov/opa/1/10/childfinal.htm[Access throughout May]
Online Course The Information SuperHighway ITC15 Module 1 http//life.csu.edu.au/itc15/ [Accessed throughout May]
Mitra, Jane Children and Censorshiphttp//www.partnerships.org.uk/articles/child.html [Accessed throughout May]
Eugene School District, Child Safety on the Information Highway http//www.4j.lane.edu/safety/childtoc.html [Access throughout May]
Federal Trade Commission, Commission Actions http//www.ftc.gov/os/1/10/index.htm [Access throughout May]
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