INTERNET AND NET SAFETY -People To Be Connected Not To Convict.

Dr.Ponmozhi Suresh, Principal, O.P.R.Memorial College of Education,Vadalur

Abstract

Internet is a wonderful resource for young people, where they can be educated and entertained. But this virtual world poses great threat to mankind. They are easily trapped by the ill events of internet like pornography, violence, self-harm and suicide. It is the duty of the teachers and parent to protect their children from internet hazards. The parents and teacher should aware of risk and hazards of internet, warning signals, duties of parents and teachers in net safety; ways of resilience to come out of the problem is discussed.

INTRODUCTION:

            The survey of Tata consultancy service in 12 metropolitan cities of India says about 63% of children living in that area use internet for at least one hour per day. Surprisingly the Norton Family report highlights 77% of children in India are exposed to online thread or negative experiences but only 50% of the parents are aware of that. So it is the duty of the teacher or parent to protect and guide their children by watching their internet activities carefully in India.

RISKS

Internet users face few risks. Adolescents are particularly at risk because they often use the computer unsupervised and are more likely than younger children .Some risks are:

1.         Exposure to Inappropriate Material: They possibly exposed to inappropriate material that is hateful, sexual or violent in nature, or encourages activities that are hazardous or unlawful.

2.      Physical Molestation: In numerous cases, predator have used E-mail, bulletin boards and chat areas to gain a child’s confidence and then arrange an in person meeting.

3.      Harassment: A third risk is that a child might encounter E-mail or chat/bulletin board messages that are irritating, humiliating, or aggressive.

4.      Legal and Financial: There is also the risk that a child could do something that has negative, legal or financial consequences, such as giving out a parent’s credit-card number or doing something that violates another person’s rights. Legal issues aside, children should be taught good “netiquette” which means to avoid being impolite or careless.

WARNING SIGNALS FOR THE PARENTS:

Warning signs of a child being targeted by an online predator include

o   Spending long hours in internet, especially at night,

o   Phone calls from unknown person,

o   Unwanted gifts arriving in the mail.

o   Sudden turn off the computer when someone comes.

o   Leaving from family life and unwillingness to discuss online activities.

INTERNET SAFETY HAZARDS

In addition to general warnings about protecting children from "the Internet," parents should be aware about some specific things that can cause trouble, including:

·         Illegal File Sharing Programs - through specific programs and sites, such as Gnutella, Bit Torrent and Kazaa, etc., children illegally download music, movies and other content.

·         Social Network Sites - many children use these sites, such as Face book, orkut and MySpace, to post personal information and photos, which predators can use to contact your child.

·         IM and Chat - in addition to texting on their cell phones, many children use Instant Messaging and Chat Rooms (iChat, AOL, Yahoo Messenger, etc.) to talk with their friends, and unfortunately, sometimes predators pose as children.

·         Web Videos - children on the Internet usually quickly find YouTube. Unfortunately, there are plenty of videos on YouTube and other video sites that are not appropriate for children.

Duties of the Parent:

              The parent of the y-generation should develop certain skills to protect and guide their children. They are

1.      Develop Good parenting skill.                                                           

2.      Learn computer.

3.      Use common email.Id.

4.      Place a computer in a common place.

5.      Surf  together.

6.      Bookmark favorite site.

7.      Monitor your credit card and phone bills.

8.      Avoid private chat room.

9.      Reduce availability of the computer on other places.

10.  Immediate attention to the uncomfortable online exchange.

11.  Forward obscene or threatening message to Internet service providers.

12.  Try to disable cookies. (Who track specific information about user).

13.  Don’t be too critical to your children.

14.  Encourage good netiquette.

15.  Look at the rating chart of the website before opening it.

16.  Periodical inspection of last visited sites.

BASIC ADVICE FOR THEIR CHILDREN

Set up some simple rules for your children to follow while they're using the Internet, such as:

1.      Follow the rules you set, as well as those set by your Internet service provider.

2.      Never trade personal photographs in the mail or scanned photographs over the Internet.

3.      Never reveal personal information, such as address, phone number, or school name or location. Use only a screen name. Never agree to meet anyone from a chat room in person.

4.      Never respond to a threatening email or message.

5.      Always tell a parent about any communication or conversation that was scary.

6.      If your child has a new "friend," insist on being "introduced" online to that friend.

7.      Never put online any information of your family members. Never upload photos and videos online as they can easily be misused online by online predators.

8.      Do not get friendly with strangers online no matter how friendly they appear.

9.      Protect your user name and password at all times. Never let it out to anyone.

10.  Never agree to meet someone you meet online without consulting your parents

TEACHERS AND PARENTS ROLE IN NET SAFETY

Once the children are got into the problem we people should not get tension and annoying the child. We should try to solve the problem and help them to come out from that situation.

1.      Educating the students about responsibilities, civilicity and netiquettes

2.      Reduce availability of harmful contact and contact to online children

3.      Restrict and reduce access to internet

4.      Increase resilience: Equip children to deal with exposure to harmful and inappropriate content and contact, and equip parents to help their children deal with these things and parent effectively around incidences of harmful and inappropriate conduct by their children. In many families, these problems are solved with good parenting skills, and establishing trust and limits. But even strong parents could use some technological help.

CONCLUTION

Educate and empower our Children to "manage their own online behavior." by teaching our children to respect, civility and citizenship in online as well as offline. So we improve their chances for safe, constructive, and productive use of the Net and mobile phones.

Reference

Nileena.M.S. (2010) Be safe on the info highway, THE HINDU, Dec.14. http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-youngworld/be-safe-on-the-info-highway/article951673.ece

Chai, S., Bagchi-Sen, S., Morrell, C., Rao, H.R., & Upadhyaya, S. J. (2009). Internet and online information privacy: An exploratory study of preteens and early teens. Professional Communication, IEEE Transactions on, 52(2), 167-182.

D’Haenens, L., Vandonink, S. and Donoso,V. (2013). How to cope and build resilience. London: EU Kids Online, LSE. http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/48115

 http://www.childinternetsafety.co.uk/hub