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Teen Safety on the Information Highway
Whatever your age, the Internet is a great place to hang out. It's not only fun but it lets you keep in touch with friends and family and provides an enormous amount of information. There are lots of great educational sites as well as places to keep up with your favorite sports, hobbies, music, and much more. If you're a teen, we probably don't need to sell you on the benefits of the Internet. Many of you know far more than your parents or even teachers about the wonders of cyberspace. If you're a parent, talk to your kids about "the Net" and - if you need to learn more - see if they can help you. Either way, it's important for teens and parents to share knowledge. You have something to learn from each other - if not about the Internet, then about life in general, how to make good decisions, and how to look at information critically.
Cyberspace is like a big city. There are libraries, universities, museums, places to have fun, and plenty of opportunities to meet wonderful people from all walks of life. But, like any community, there are also some people and areas that you ought to avoid and others that you should approach only with caution.
By knowing the dangers and how to avoid them, you can take advantage of all the positive aspects of the Internet while avoiding most of its pitfalls.
If you're a teen, or a parent of a teenager, you might feel that you don't need the same restrictions and controls as younger kids. You may be right, but just because you're older doesn't mean that you're out of danger. Teenagers are actually more likely to get into trouble online than younger kids. Teens are more likely to explore out-of-the-way nooks and crannies of cyberspace, they're more likely to reach out to people outside of their immediate peer groups and, sadly, they're more often preyed upon as victims by child molesters and other exploiters.
How Do I Get Into Cyberspace?
There are lots of front doors to cyberspace, including Internet service providers and online services, that can provide you with an account that gives you access to everything on the public Internet. This includes web sites, E-mail, chat rooms, file libraries, discussion groups (called newsgroups), and lots of other services including the ability to listen to music and view videos.
An online service can, in some situations, exercise some control over the type of content and "customer conduct" in its own areas, but the services have no control or jurisdiction over what takes place on the Internet as a whole. And even within their own areas, these services can't possibly police everything that happens. So, even if you're going online using one of these services, you're not completely protected from the larger dangers.
Before going into the dangers, let's put this into context. Millions of teenagers go online every day, and most are safe. The way to stay safe is to understand the dangers and follow some simple rules to help you stay out of trouble. By following these rules you minimize the risks, but you can never completely eliminate all risks in life.
GENERAL RISKS
Situations and Behavior That Make You Feel Uncomfortable
Not everything that can go wrong in cyberspace necessarily puts you in physical danger. There are web sites, newsgroups, chat rooms, and other places online that contain material that could make you feel uncomfortable. It could be material that's sexual and/or violent in nature. It could be material espousing hateful attitudes or discussing activities that you find repulsive or unpleasant. It really doesn't matter what it is. What does matter is that you have the right - and the tools - to instantly remove yourself from any area where you feel you shouldn't be.
Putting Yourself in Physical Danger
The most serious risk you can face involves the possibility of someone hurting or exploiting your because of information that you or someone else posts about you online or because of something you do or somewhere you go as a result of what you encounter online. The number of teens who are molested, abducted, or leave home as a result of contacts made on the Internet are relatively low, but when it happens the results can be tragic
Giving Up Privacy or Putting Yourself or Your Family in Financial Risk
The Internet, like so many other places in this world, is home to people who would try to take money from you or your family or just pester you with unwelcome advertising and marketing material. Be especially wary of any "get rich quick" schemes that promise to help you earn you lots of money in your spare time. If something sounds "too good to be true", it probably is.
Harassment
Not everyone in cyberspace minds their manners. When you're online, especially in chat rooms or bulletin boards, there is a chance that you'll get messages that are harassing, demeaning, or just plain mean. Don't take it personally. A message that is demeaning says a lot more about the sender than it does about the person who gets it. Ironically, even people who are nice in the "real" world can forget their manners when they go online. The best thing for you to do if you encounter messages or people in chat rooms who are acting that way is to ignore them. Some messages, however, may constitute harassment, which is a crime under federal law. If someone sends you messages or images that are obscene, lewd, filthy, or indecent with the intent to harass, abuse, annoy, or threaten you, report it to your Internet service provider and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children's CyberTipline, or call them: 1-800-843-5678.
Hurting Others and Getting into Trouble
Avoid anything that might hurt people and risk getting yourself into trouble. You need to respect other people's privacy and avoid taking any actions that annoy, harass, or hurt other people. You are responsible for your behavior online.
Continue reading this article for more helpful information on "Teen Safety on the Information Highway":
Visit the following Internet sites for more information on how to keep teens safe on the Information Highway:
The books below deal with Children's Safety online. Use Amazon.com's secure server to order:
 "The Parent's Guide to Protecting Your Children in Cyberspace": Parry Aftab. Buy it now through Amazon.com's secure server!
Click HERE or on the image of the books to give this gift to yourself or someone else!
"Life and Death on the Internet: How to Protect Your Family on the World Wide Web": Keith A. Schroeder, Julie Ledger. Buy it now through Amazon.com's secure server!
Click HERE or on the image of the books to give this gift to yourself or someone else!
Copyright © The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. The information on this website is provided as a courtesy to My ParenTime's Family Community visitors, and is for educational purposes only.
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