Cyber Safety
What is the Problem?
While technology has changed the way we educate and communicate, research indicates that cyber offenses among kids are increasing. This includes:
- Academic dishonesty
- Intellectual property theft
- Piracy of music, movies and software
- Online threats and harassment "cyber bullying"
- Credit card fraud
- Unwanted exposure to pornography
- Unwanted solicitations for sex
- Illicit purchasing of prescription and illegal drugs
- Writing and distributing malicious computer code
- Computer hacking
Links to help keep your teens safe:
What do you know about your teens cyber life? Online gaming, texting, instant messaging, and social networking sites all allow your teen to create one or more cyber identities. It's important that you have dialogue with your kids about how they use technology and whether they are making safe choices.
The links below will provide resources to help you understand the challenges parents, teens and educators face.
http://www.netsmartz.org/index.aspx
This site, developed by The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, and The Boys and Girls Club of America, addresses safety awareness for all areas of electronic media including social networking sites, instant messaging, gaming, cell phone use and texting. The site discusses ways to encourage students to make safer choices on the internet and in the real world by learning about the dangers that exist and promoting communication with parents and teachers in reporting inappropriate use of internet and cell phones.
The site provides age appropriate content areas for young students, teens, parents and teachers.
The Rochester Cyber Space and Ethics Initiative
A partnership by RIT, Time Warner Cable and other organizations, dedicated to providing resources to parents, students and educators. RIT now offers a course in online safety education.
Social Networking
Below are links to two recent articles on the consequences of my space - one in regard to college admissions, the other of a mother on trial for cyber-bullying. Please share this info; especially the article on the college admission process with students.
New Study Suggests Colleges Are Looking at Social-Networking Sites Before Accepting Students - By Dennis Carter
About a quarter of the colleges and universities polled in a recent survey by the National Association for College Admissions Counseling (NACAC) said their admissions officers research prospective students' social-networking profiles before extending admission or scholarships. Read entire eschoolnews.com article.
Myspace Hoax Leads to Criminal Charges for Teen & Mom
This article featured on abcnews.go.com, describes a cyberbullying event with a tragic consequence. Read article.
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