Social Networking: Children@Risk Date:   Thursday , September 08, 2011 “Mom, all my friends are on facebook, why is it that only I cannot have a Facebook account?” My 10 year old daughter was pleading her case in the Supreme Court. I could already see from the expressions on face of the Judge, the case was beginning to tilt in prosecution’s favor without even giving a chance to the defendant. But I was not going to give up this case so easily; I had my defense ready. Would you leave your child alone in a busy marketplace or on a highway? The child would be prone to all kinds of dangers in the physical world – accidents, kidnapping, molestation… I am sure none of us would do this. Then why would you leave the child alone on the information superhighway? I have seen many of us do this, unknowingly. Internet has become a necessity in our lives so much so that the United Nations has declared Internet Access as a human right. Today the schools are networked, have their own website and the homework instructions too are published on the net. Students as young as 4th Grade are expected to log in on to the school website on a daily basis. Students are required to browse the net to collect information and pictures for their projects. There is no denying that Internet has become an integral part of our children’s lives. But the fact is that children are at risk in cyberspace, if we do not take adequate precautions. More and more children now have their own cell phones. Children are exposed to text messages, MMS (multimedia messages) and can also access Internet, social networks on their phones. Alice in the wonderland Inappropriate Content Children use Internet to search information and pictures for school projects. You would be shocked to see the amount of inappropriate information, images and advertisements are displayed when they search for seemingly innocuous queries and images and click on the links displayed in search results. Spam messages (including the ones selling blue tablets, exotic names showing interest to know you better etc.) do not distinguish between children and adult mail boxes. Sharing personal information and images Children share a lot of personal information including the name, address, passwords, information about their family, photographs over email and social networks. This information could be potentially misused for identity theft or other cybercrimes. Most cell phones now have cameras which can capture photographs and videos. Explicit images / videos can be shared easily over the MMS and through mobile internet. Children do not understand the legal implications of creating, storing and distributing explicit photos or videos of minors. If such material is circulated through phones or Internet, children could be exposed to risk of embarrassment, leading to psychological disorders and could impact their studies and social life. Big bad Wolves waiting for Red Riding Hood Contact with Strangers Children may come into contact with strangers on social networks, chat rooms, online forums or email. Strangers could take advantage of the impressionable minds and persuade them into parting with personal information, photographs, videos etc. Such predators are known to entice children by promising gifts in return for sharing information. The online contact may advance to telephonic contact and finally meeting them in real life – without the knowledge of parents. Cyber stalking, Cyber bullying Bullying is common in schools and on the playground. However, with the advent of technology in their lives, children have also adopted a new form of bullying – online and over cell phones. The difference is that cyber bullying can occur anytime, anywhere – the child can receive offensive messages while at home over the Internet or SMS. Derogatory messages or information against a child can be posted over social networks, forums or over chat. Predators ask children for their cell phone numbers after meeting them online since it allows them to contact the child anytime. They can stalk a child, could send abusive, threatening SMS or emails. How do we minimize these risks? To ensure that your child is safe in cyber space, you need to establish ground rules, monitor use and discuss safety practices with children. It is important that children trust you and share important information with you about their online activities regularly. Various technology controls are also available to prevent, monitor and detect any problems. Awareness and rules Especially for pre-teens, try to supervise Internet usage personally as far as possible. Set time limits for Internet use and keep the home computer in an open area like the living room. Explain to children that they should never give out personal details to online friends. Make them understand what information about them is personal; i.e. home address and telephone numbers, user-ids/passwords, email address, mobile number etc. They should not share any pictures or videos of themselves, their family or friends – except under your supervision. If your child receives email from unknown persons, spam or junk mails, remind them never to believe their contents, reply to them or click on any links. They should not open files that are from people they don't know - it could be a virus or an inappropriate photo or video. Explain the consequences of posting or forwarding inappropriate material online or through cell phones. It could harm the child’s reputation and his life. Just as in real life we warn them about interacting with strangers, the same rule applies in cyberspace. They should not talk to strangers in chat forum; accept invites on social networks or respond to SMS or emails from strangers. It is important for children to know that that people may not be always speaking the truth online and they should not believe everything that they see or hear online. If an online friend asks them to meet, they should inform you, and you can arrange for a supervised meeting if appropriate. As a responsible parent, be firm not to let your child get access to content that is not meant for their age, e.g. DO NOT let you child have his own Facebook account if they are below the prescribed age limit. There are separate social networking sites especially for children. Technology can help Make sure your home computer has updated anti-virus software and there is no inappropriate content on it. Children should use child friendly search engines. Alternatively, make sure “safe-search” settings are enabled and locked down in the regular search engines. This can help keep out inappropriate content from being displayed, while searching for information or images. If your children have unsupervised access, consider installing “parental control” software. This will help prevent access inappropriate content as well as help you monitor the online activity of children. If your child has a cell phone, consider getting an itemised statement which can help identify any specific / unknown numbers which are calling / messaging frequently and at odd hours. Magic wand The magic wand is “TRUST”. If your child trusts you, they will talk to you if they have had any problem in cyberspace – just as they would talk to you about any problem in school or on the playground. Children should know that it's never too late to tell if something makes them feel uncomfortable. So it is important for you to build the bridge of trust, which can keep the child safe from any evil spells! P.S.: After hearing my defence, my Supreme Court ruled that we settle the matter out of court – so finally my daughter did get her account – but on a social network site specially created for children. The author is Chief Risk Officer on IT Security, Bharathi AXA General Insurance