The internet is full of resources that children and youth are exposed to every day. There are new ways of doing things, finding friends, games, and a lot more. All these are available to them at home, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The different sites are so appealing that they become so engrossed that it results in mechanical exploration. They do not understand that the virtual world can be harmful to them just like the real world.
Parents can take an active role in maintaining the online privacy of their children. Not all parents realize that web sites collect personal information from children. Information gathering can be done in various ways. There are those that ask children to register, join a club or enter a contest, fill out a questionnaire, and others. Web sites can put them altogether to make a personal profile; enough to identify personal preferences, especially commercial products. Children then become targets of advertisements, or they end up on a customer list that is sold to third parties. This is the first step to losing their privacy.
There is no assurance that children will not be exposed to harm in the virtual world. Even the best technology-based solutions are not fail-safe because a new technology overrules the older one. The best way to guard children against privacy invasion can only be provided by parents. They must be actively involved in their children’s online activities. Parents should make efforts to spend time with their children and ask them to show their online activities.
Parents should not take for granted the privacy policy statements of the sites that their children explore. One of the important parts is what information is collected and how it is used. A good site is one that provides an option on whether the child’s information can be collected or not. There are sites that use the seal of approval from a trusted authority. This can be easily found on the first page of the privacy policy. This seal is given only to sites that agree to be audited and to give dispute resolution services.
Parents and guardians should teach children never to give out information that can identify them. There are sites that ask for family information, home address, phone number, school name, family photos, etc. Passwords must never be given to anyone, even to those that they know. They should stay away from the ones that threaten, suggest, demean, or those that make them uneasy.
If children have started using social networking, they should remember that people online may be pretending to be another person. It is possible that a 13-year old girl is actually a 30-year old man. Parents can be effective guardians of their children’s online privacy if they themselves are knowledgeable. They can start by making an extra effort to learn to navigate the internet themselves.
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1 comment:
There is a fine line between letting your children learn from their experiences and watching out for their safety. In today's world it is possible for children to go online, get into some trouble through pics or messages, and ruin their life before it gets started. It is the parent’s responsibility to watch out for their children, so sometimes I think it is okay to spy some. I use Mousemail, which keeps my spying anonymous through sending potential threats and messages to me, instead of my child. Therefore I can stay proactive in watching my child without them knowing I am doing it.
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