Summer’s here, so school rules such as “don’t run” and “use your inside voice” can be forgotten until fall. Many kids, unfortunately, also will forget their school’s computer rules.
While most schools have safety rules, such as don’t chat online or visit off-limit Web sites, computer rules at home may be less strict. But just because you don’t have the same limits at home is no reason to ignore Internet safety when you log on this summer.
More than 30 percent of kids admitted to chatting online with a stranger from their home computer, according to a survey of 1,556 kids by Harris Interactive for Business Software Alliance.
The survey also found that almost 25 percent of kids gave out personal information online and 29 percent visited off limit Web sites from home computers.
Kids in the survey were more likely to follow computer rules at school than at home — probably because those school rules are more like restrictions.
On school computers, 78 percent of surveyed kids said they are barred from visiting certain Web sites. And 69 percent of kids say their school uses software to prevent kids from visiting certain sites, reports the survey.
At Eric H.’s school, Web sites with games and movie clips are blocked from school computers.
“We have to sign an agreement before we can use the computers at all,” says Eric, 14, of Oak Park. “We can only send appropriate e-mail messages with the teachers’ permission.”
At home, Eric has a computer in his room and is allowed to go onto game sites. “I can’t really go onto chat sites,” he says. “I haven’t gone into chat rooms at all.”
And just to be safe, when Eric wanted to play online chess, his father created an e-mail address with a fake name Eric could use for registering. “I don’t like meeting people online,” he says. “I’ve heard people can just say anything or get information about you from just going to sites.”
Keep it to yourself
Kids do have to be careful online, but they shouldn’t be afraid of the Internet, says Lisa Jo Rudy, author of “The Internet Guide for Families” (Swordsmith Productions, $12.95).
Being safe online is similar to how kids stay safe offline. “There’s no reason to tell anybody personal information while you’re online,” Rudy says.
That means not sharing your name, hometown, age or any other information that shouldn’t be made public. “That goes for blogs as well, because blogs are public information,” Rudy says.
Alisa C., 12, of Chicago says she once shared a bit of personal information online and got scared when another chatter started asking questions.
“My cousin was in from Germany and I said we were going to the John Hancock,” Alisa says. The person began asking Alisa where she lived in Chicago and claimed he was considering a trip to the city.
After a few more creepy questions, Alisa left the site and returned with a new account and screen name. Now she’s more careful and says she knows her parents will take away her computer if she ever breaks her family’s Internet safety rules. “I need my computer for school, so I don’t mess around with it,” Alisa says.
Kids cruising the Web may feel confused as to whether a Web site is OK to access. Rudy says kids should check to see if the site seems kid-friendly. “Are there pictures for kids? Kid-oriented language?” she says.
Using a kid-friendly search engine like Yahooligans.com also can help a kid avoid scary sites. Yahooligans sites are picked by adults and meant to be safe and interesting to kids, Rudy says.
Certain types of chat rooms also should be avoided. Rudy doesn’t like chat rooms that don’t have a moderator. “You can get into weird conversations with people you don’t know,” she says. “Chat rooms have a potential to be a problem, and they really aren’t that useful.”
Moderated chat rooms–such as an online interview with a famous author–can be a better place for kids. “That’s a great thing to do,” Rudy says. “You can get in a line essentially and ask a question of your favorite author. That’s more like an event.”
Don’t talk to strangers
Nicole B., 11, of Evergreen Park doesn’t go into chat rooms. She has her own laptop and goes online to Instant Message her friends. “I only talk to people I know,” she says. “I don’t talk to anyone else.”
And if a stranger sends her an IM, Nicole can block it. Once a friend made up a strange screen name and thought it would be funny to IM Nicole with creepy questions. “She was asking what school I went to,” Nicole says.
When the stranger wouldn’t let up, Nicole threatened to call the police. Then her friend confessed she was just playing a joke. Nicole’s advice: “Always have an adult around in case something goes wrong. … Ask an adult for help,” she says.
Message boards can be another source of trouble. “You can get into problems with people posting information they shouldn’t,” Rudy says. “You can also get into fights.”
Kids who end up on a message board aimed at adults probably can’t “relate to” the other posters. A kid might accidentally offend another poster and get involved in an online argument, Rudy says.
– – –
Security guards
Knowing how to act online can keep you safe when you are offline. Here’s how kids can take a worry-free wander around the Web:
– Stick to kid-friendly sites. Web sites designed for young surfers will have kid-friendly language and graphics. “Sometimes kids get onto sites that are really intended for grown-ups,” says author Lisa Jo Rudy. “And while it won’t hurt them, there is information they may not be ready for yet.”
– Avoid chat rooms without a moderator. “They all just sit around and babble, like, ‘Hi, I’m Joey,'” Rudy says. And who knows if Joey is a kid or some creep?
– Click away from message-board spats. Leave a site if someone wants to argue with you or a fight breaks out, Rudy says.
– Ask your parents for help, they can figure out whether a site is cool to cruise. “Whenever you feel unsafe … ask your parents,” Alisa C. says.
– Don’t click on any unknown ads or links. Alisa thinks most banner ads or links aren’t worth your time, and they might try to collect personal information. “No will give you a free iPod for shooting the duck,” she says.
