In a previous post “Protecting Children in Cyberspace – Guide for parents [ Part 1 of 2 ]” we evaluated the dangers and threats posed by internet to children in detail. In this second part we are going to look at various protective measures parents, caregivers, government, social organizations and communities should adopt to counter these threats.
Protective Measures for Parents & Caregivers
It is an undeniable fact that there is no substitute for parental guidance and supervision and therefore protection begins, first and foremost, at home. Parents must enhance their computer skills through short courses and books etc to effectively supervise their children’s use of the computer and internet. Quite frankly, parents should assert their right to monitor their children’s online activities whether they like it or not. Privacy is a privilege children today can no longer enjoy. The most important thing here is open communication between the parent and the child. Children need to know why certain rules about the computer and their access to the Internet exist. They may be less likely to violate the rules if they are told the truth about why they are not allowed to see everything on the Internet. This will also help children to understand that their parents are only concerned about their well-being and will not be seen as much an intrusion of their privacy (a very common accusation made by teens with raging hormones). Even taking the following simple steps can minimize risk exponentially.
- Installing computer in the living room or some other common area of the house and not in children’s bedroom
- Establishing firm rules regarding use of the computer and internet. e.g. limiting the duration of use of internet
- Strictly forbidding children to give out any kind of personal information like names, addresses or telephone numbers without explicit permission.
- Forbidding children to never buy anything on internet
- Strictly forbidding entry into chat rooms
- Keeping track of all the accounts the child uses
- Strictly prohibiting uploading pictures without explicit permission
- Checking browser history, temp history or cache files regularly to see which sites have been visited
- Checking the recycle bin or deleted files to see what’s been erased.
- Observing any change in behavior or body language e.g. becoming secretive about activities, annoyance on adult presence, sudden minimization of screens.
Parents can also exert substantial control by installing filtering software. These filters restrict the content that can be viewed by the child. They are also customizable which means that the degree of restriction can be varied as it suits the parent. The parent can set the filter so that the internet can be used only for a small duration in a day. Or they can restrict access to inappropriate websites and allow only approved sites. Internet blocks or filters can be very effective in denying access to sexually explicit or other harmful material and can be used on home computers, computer networks and even in internet cafes.
Some examples are CyberPatrol, Net Nanny, CYBERsitter, and SurfWatch [3].
However, internet filters have their limitations. The biggest problem with filtering at home level is that most parents do not possess the skills required to implement these measures. Secondly, filters are not altogether reliable as computer-savvy teens these days quickly find a way to get around or evade these filters.
Furthermore, there are various sites available on internet which provide guides on disabling these software such as following:
http://www.cexx.org/censware.htm
Guidelines and actions for children
- Do not tell a lie.
- Never give out your name, address or telephone number to anybody online.
- Never buy anything online.
- If you see anything online that makes you feel uneasy, talk to your parents.
- If you receive any messages from people you don’t know, tell your parents straight away.
- Do not post photographs of yourself or your family online.
- Don’t use chat rooms.
- When using MSN or a community website like Facebook, don’t accept friend invitations from anyone you don’t know.
- If you receive an email with an attachment, never open it.
- Don’t click on pop-up adverts, even if they promise a free gift! It’s usually a trick.
- Never, ever arrange to meet anyone you have only spoken to online.
Recommendations to the Governments, social organizations and communities
Policies & Frameworks
First and foremost, the government should enact and implement well articulated laws, policies and systems to protect children in cyberspace. It also needs to develop a coherent policy for censorship.
Public Awareness Campaign
Cyber-safety is a shared responsibility among the parents/ caregivers, the ICT (information and communication technologies) industry, and law enforcement agencies. Each has a specific role to play to ensure protection and security of kids online. Ironically, in a country where religion is preached but not practiced, society continues to be intolerant towards all issues deemed taboo, even though everything is happening covertly. This state of denial and outright hypocrisy is wreaking havoc with our morality and is destroying our very social fabric. The age old proverb “prevention is better than cure” applies to almost everything. Cyber safety is no exception. But prevention requires education. For this purpose a public awareness campaign should be launched using IMC (Integrated marketing Communications). The objective of this campaign should be to make the general public aware of the importance of internet safety. They need to be educated about the kinds of harms that may occur online so that they are able to identify the possible physical and psychological harm caused to them in both the short and long term. Parents especially must develop an understanding of the way children and others use the internet and other communication devices, and how to monitor their children’s’ online activities. The country’s youth should be encouraged to come to the forefront on this issue and give suggestions and advice on internet safety to their peers. All media vehicles, including television, newspapers, radio, internet as well as pamphlets, seminars, forums etc. should be employed for this purpose.
Several initiatives have been started across the world in this regard and yielding good results. In Australia, an instance of public sector action can be seen in the NetAlert Cybersafe Schools programme that has been developed by the country’s internet safety advisory body, NetAlert (www.netalert.net.au ). It introduces children at primary and secondary schools to both the potential and the pitfalls of the internet. Small children too are catered for, in the specially designed website “Netty’s World.”
Public & Private Sector Collaboration
The Government sector should work hand-in-hand with business entities in the Information & Communications Technology Industry (phone & internet companies, Internet Service Providers, Internet cafes and software houses), in order to introduce effective child protection measures.
Upgrade Internet filters and Censorship Methods
Filtering Mechanism should be updated. A more sophisticated blocking system should be employed. What is required is software which is capable of more complex filtering rules so that only specific websites can be targeted and not entire domains. Keyword blocking, which blocks access to websites based on the words found in URLs or blocks searches involving blacklisted terms, is a more advanced technique that a growing number of countries are employing [8]
Filtration at all Points of Control
Internet filtration can occur at any or all of the following four nodes in network [8]:
- Internet backbone - implement blocks on materials at the national level of a backbone provider (a key entry route through which all Internet traffic must pass in and out of a country, before it disseminates through lowerlevel ISPs)
- Internet Service Providers - Government-mandated filtering is most commonly implemented by Internet Service Providers (ISPs)
- Institutions - Filtering of institutional level networks using technical blocking and/or induced self-censorship occurs in companies, government organizations, schools and cybercafés
- Individual Computers – Using home filtration software It is recommended that the government should order internet filtering at all of these levels. i.e. PTA should set up filtration systems at the international gateway to eliminate access to content throughout the entire country, instruct ISPs to block access to certain sites, obligate cybercafes to filter their networks, and require parents/caregivers to install filtration software on each individual computer they own. These protective measures, in addition to those taken by parents will increase internet safety exponentially.
Conclusion
Someone once wisely said that a nation’s children are its most valuable asset. Truly it is the children who represent the future hope of the country and shape the destinies of nations. However, children are also the most vulnerable members of society. Therefore, protecting children against internet crime must be made a national priority. Although the ubiquitous and omnipotent nature of the internet makes it impossible to completely control the flow of dangerous information, certain measures can be taken to minimize, if not eradicate cyber-crime against children and ensure that they benefit from the wealth of valuable information the internet offers without being exposed to any potential dangers. The importance of protection laws and state measures withstanding, a child’s ultimate protection is the parent. Taking drastic steps today will ensure a safe and healthy future tomorrow.
One generation plants the trees; another gets the shade (Chinese proverb)
References
ECPAT International, “Violence against children in cyberspace,”
www.ecpat.net/EI/Publications/ICT/Cyberspace_ENG.pdf
Enough. “Just harmless fun,” www.enough.org/objects/justharmlessfun.pdf
John L. Terry, “Protecting children in cyberspace,” http://ezinearticles.com/?Protecting-Children-in-Cyberspace&id=1224575
OpenNet Initiative, “About filtering,” http://opennet.net/about-filtering
Wikipedia, “Blocking IP addresses,” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Blocking_IP_addresses
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