Safety on the Internet

1. Safety on the Internet Privacy and Ethical Behavior Along the Information Superhighway

2. The Dangers of an Electronic Babysitter • Neither the computer nor the Internet have a conscience. • A good bit of what students can encounter on the Web is placed there by people with few or no scruples. • The Internet is a world-wide resource policed by no governing body. • Still, restricting access to the full range of Internet content is a mistake, since filters offer only limited protection and block access to some material indiscriminately.

3. Vulnerable to Attack • The more time children spend on the Internet, the greater the risk that they will come in contact with inappropriate material or unscrupulous individuals. • Adults cannot expect children to exercise mature judgment and restraint. • Teens are especially vulnerable, since they spend time online discussing intimate matters, giving others opportunities to manipulate them. • Indeed, teens are by nature inclined to take risks and act in contradiction to authority.

4. The Risks of the Road • Although the percentage is low, there are plenty of websites carrying inappropriate content (e.g., pornography and racial prejudice). • Unscrupulous individuals frequent chat rooms and misrepresent themselves to the unwary, often with the goal of setting up face-to-face meetings. • Parents and teachers should warn against the setting up of unsupervised meetings. • Divulging personal information (e.g., name, address, social security and credit card numbers) may likewise lead to dangerous face-to-face encounters, or to theft of financial assets.

5. Cautions for Teachers • Teachers should identify websites that are appropriate for their curriculum and the developmental level of their students, and post these on their own website. • While all students should be allowed to make use of the Internet for supervised, curriculum-related purposes, some parents may feel comfortable having their children work independently. • Teachers should allow students with parental supervision to exercise greater latitude in their researches, which may have to be conducted through public servers if the school’s filters access. • Care should be taken to ensure that students with parental permission and those without do not work together in groups.

6. Ethical Considerations • The faceless others one meets along the Information Superhighway are real people. Thus they should be dealt with cautiously … but also with respect. • The Internet, after all, is a medium where people connect. It is not a television show or video game. • The bottom line: Users should follow the golden rule. • Students should be aware that their activities on the school’s network are subject to monitoring, and that even outside school technologies exists to track down online offenders. • Even seemingly harmless transgressions can carry serious consequences.