Internet Dangers for Children

                                                                                                               

Internet Dangers For Children

Information retrieved from this link.

Author: Jessica Dolcourt (2011)

“Your kids love going online. And why not? The Internet brims with ideas, people, and experiences. Yet the technology that helps you explore and use the Web also makes it easy for you to expose your personal information to others, and some Net-goers are eager to take advantage of the situation”.

Data theft, malicious software, inappropriate content, cyber bullying and predators.

Data theft

Children are vulnerable because they tend to be less cautious about sharing sensitive information with strangers and friends.

Malicious Software (Viruses, keylogging etc) – intended to annoy, destroy or exploit.

Children often value ‘free’ over ‘safe’. When students link-share among peers they are at a higher risk of downloading infected programs. Children seek out free software, malicious distributors know these children also trust links and email more than they should.

Teach kids to be extremely cautious when opening downloads or links from friends and strangers.

Teach kids to refrain from automatically clicking "yes" buttons anywhere on the screen--read all text carefully.

Inappropriate Content

Even if a minor isn't looking for adult or violent material online, it's sometimes easy to stumble across it simply by following search-engine or instant-message links. (Pornographic, sexually explicit, violence).

Parents and teachers rely on content-blocking and filtering software to limit what kids can see, older kids with computer skills are often adept at working around such controls.

Cyber Bullying

“It's frightening and hurtful when bullies taunt and deride their peers at the schoolyard. It can be even more damaging when it happens online. Cyber bullying includes threats, gossip, and insults that are spread via e-mail and IM, broadcast on social networking sites, planted in forums, and distributed through community-oriented online games”.

Predators – Stranger Danger

Every parent's worst Web nightmare, online predators are most commonly adults who use various techniques to establish a close relationship with young Web users. Predators typically pose as young people and take their time befriending minors, gathering personal information and other clues in the virtual world so they can lure, blackmail, abuse or kidnap their targets in the real world.

Author: Jessica Dolcourt (2011) Information retrieved from http://www.cnet.com/4520-13384_1-6721368-1.html

Another imformative website explaining risks to children while using the world wide web is linked here, the site is called Web Aware.

NetAlert is another informative site