Children and internet safety - Research Paper Example

?Modi Arti Modi The World Wide Web has opened an enumerable amount of doors to both adults and children alike. The ability to turn on your computerand in a matter of a few short moments, finding the information you are seeking. Although we now have an infinite source of valuable information, our children are at higher risk than ever. The Internet assists us when we need it, but it also provides con artists and other predators into our children’s lives. We as parents have a moral obligation to protect our children against the devastating effects of what is available on the Internet. The difficulty remains, however, of how we assure our children’s safety. Parents are given charge of their children not merely through having created them. The want to protect and foster their children is an innate need that humans have. Therefore, it is imperative that parents not only monitor what their children view online, but whom they may be talking to. Given the capacity we now have to acquire data on any given subject, there are bound to be flaws in the system, as well as the ability to obtain information that most people would view as highly inappropriate. Violent episodes are abundant on the World Wide Web, from media accounts and vicious fighting, to “hate sites that encourage the discrimination of specific people. Data are lacking to illuminate how many youth are intentionally accessing violent websites.” (Hamburger, M. E., Ybarra, M. L., Leaf, P. J. and West, 2011). The trouble with children accessing violent sites are in the detriment that child can potentially incur. Children are effortlessly misled to believe what they see on television or the Internet is viable and useful information. However unfortunate, even Modi 1 The most well adjusted child’s psyche can fall prey to horrific scenes of violence, which can produce fear, anxiety and even anger. This can cause extensive harm to the child’s overall sense of self, and their well-being. There are very few families in the developed world that do not have a television or a computer with Internet access. Commercials abound from toys, cereal, and cartoons to violent games, horrific news stories and real life beatings of people. It is irrelevant whether they be on television or the Internet, they are extremely difficult to get away from. Commercials of any kind are always aimed at a particular audience, whether it is an age group, gender, race or religion. In families that are tightly knit, parents often feel that they have greater control over their children, and what they view. They are often considered more attentive to their children and their activities as well, therefore giving them perceived control over their internet usage. This perception can actually be translated into reality in many cases. “…The higher perceived control over children’s Internet usage, the less children’s exposure to negative Internet content.” (Cheon, Hongsik John, 01 Dec. 2005) This should serve as an epiphany for any parent with concerns over what their children are viewing. Parents that question their children and what they observe on television and Internet have a propensity to implement more restrictions on their television and their computer. In today’s information age, even televisions are sold with the ability to allow or disallow certain ratings of programs. This enables parents to preserve the naivete of their children even more. Frequently, adults view the Internet as a place for predators, namely pedophiles. Modi 2 A recent report states, “That there are an estimated one million pedophiles online.” (Descy, Don E., 2006) given those statistics, it is even more imperative that parents keep a dedicated eye on their children’s Internet accesses to prevent their child falling victim to an unscrupulous predator. Thankfully, there are people out there that have created programs to not only identify, but also capture pedophiles and prevent the victimization of children. One such program, called Perverted Justice (perverted-justice.com, 25 Feb. 2011) conceives Internet sting operations to capture and convict pedophiles that abuse children. It is still very disturbing to know that although there are “watch dog” programs like Perverted Justice being employed by concerned citizens, they do not serve as a deterrent for this type of predation. Internet chat rooms, curiosity stirring e-mails, social networking sites, all invite children to access them, where there is a higher than what is considered normal likelihood that they will be victimized by an online pedophile. It is extremely vital that parents be informed, as well as forewarns their children of such unscrupulous people and have a plan of action in the event of such an encounter. Although the focus tends to be on pedophiles online, it is also important to note That cyber bullying has become a prevalent issue among children as well. Whereas in the past bullying was often considered to be acts of violence towards another, the spreading of rumors about them or simply excluding them from social activities, the world has taken a huge turn in relation to bullying. Given the prevalence of social networking sites, more and more children are falling victim to cyber bullying. This is a more common occurrence than many parents may realize, and need to be more aware of. In most cases of Modi 3 cyber bullying, the child that falls victim to this knows the attacker. They are often harassed through text messaging on cellular phones, sent obscene or vicious messages though online messaging services, or even have others post crude things on their social networking page. This often happens without the parent knowing, as oftentimes children are simply too embarrassed to tell anyone that this behavior is taking place. According to a test “sample of 824... students… most teens believe that people cyber bully either because it’s funny (81%) or the they simply don’t like the person (64%) and view the victim as a loser (45%).” (Moessner, Chris, April 2007). For many victims of cyber bullying, it can and does have adverse effects on their self-esteem. Children need to be encouraged to inform their parents of these happenings, so that no further harm is done. A frequent appearance on the Internet is pornographic materials. Often, these sites are simply referred to as “adult” sites, resulting in the accidental arrival of a pornography site that are damaging to children. The feelings induced in these findings of pornographic content ranged from “sexual excitement… embarrassment… shock or surprise… guilt or shame…” and “had unwanted thoughts about the experience… or felt unattractive or inadequate.” (Sabina, Chiara, Wolak and Finkelhor, 2008). It is imperative for parents to understand the significant possibility of pornographic materials popping up on the Internet. In many cases, those types of websites are structured so as not to allow the closure of them, or in the broadest search, show up as part of the results. The creators of those sites are very perceptive, and do not trouble themselves to consider the fact that a child may see them. This merely increases the importance of placing restrictions on Modi 4 Internet browsers to disallow such materials from presenting itself to children. There is a wide variety of programs available to implement these restrictions. These programs can filter websites, photos, and pertaining texts. Given these findings, it is more important than ever for parents to be diligent in watching over their children and monitoring what they view and write. The World Wide Web is a vast area, where anyone, anywhere, can find anything the mind can dream up. The Internet is a viable resource for a wealth of information, right at your fingertips. It has made the education of our children more complex, but also more dangerous. The technological world is moving at a shocking pace, making it more difficult for parents to keep a watchful eye over their children. Regardless, for the health and safety of our most precious resource, our children, parents must remain diligent and preserve their values and rights as human beings. There is no better guardian of the innocence of children than their parents. Read More